Just Watch Me
by NGV-JWM
Summary: Hoshimiya's daughter. Ichigo's daughter. Hoshimiya Ichigo's daughter! Let's get one thing straight. My name is not "Hoshimiya Ichigo's daughter". My name is Suzukawa Momo! Make sure to remember that when I become a top idol. Better than my mom ever was. My Aikatsu is starting.
1. A New Sensation

Hoshimiya's daughter. Ichigo's daughter. Hoshimiya Ichigo's daughter! Let's get one thing straight. My name is not "Hoshimiya Ichigo's daughter". My name is Suzukawa Momo! Make sure to remember that when I become a top idol. Better than my mom ever was. My Aikatsu is starting.

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED

*Song: Hey (ねえ) by ShounenT (half way point of the song)

Momo's Point of View  
"Hey. Hello? Suzukawa-san?" I looked up from my paper facing one of my classmates. She waved her hand in front of my face smiling innocently. I removed one of my earbuds to give her half of my attention. Her name was... what was it again? Wait. Was she even one of my classmates?

"Yes?" I returned to filling out my math worksheet not really caring in what she wanted. Judging from the way she standing I could already tell what she wanted. I was use to this dance after all.

"Sorry to bother you but-" She excitingly brought up an album from behind her back. "Is it true that your mom is Hoshimiya Ichigo-chan?"

Looking back up I saw that she was holding up mom's last album before her retirement. A collaboration with my dad's rock style and her light, inspiration music, "Strawberry Night Star". Composed by my dad and written by my mom. With my dad playing his classic guitar and my mom in an Angely Sugar dress they leaned on each other's backs as they sang in perfect in harmony that the picture couldn't even begin to capture.

"Yeah." Her smile widen exponentially but before she could say anything else I held my hand up. "Yes I understand that you're a big fan. Maybe even your parents too. My parents thank you. No I will not get them to sign it. Our store is opened to fans if you want to come visit." I replied monotony.

I put my earbud back in not waiting for her response. Her arms slowly dropped as did her smile. She reluctantly went back to her groups of friends, outside of the classroom, shaking her head at them. I resumed working on my sheet without any interruptions.

It's not that I hated the fans. Most of them were actually nice. Some even became regulars at our store that we even knew their usual orders the moment they walked through the door. I had nothing against idols either. Dad and Aunty Aoi, worked at Starlight academy so I knew my fair share of up and coming stars. It was when people started associating me with my parents' name that started getting annoying. As a child it was flattering to have so many people recognize and praise my parents for all the hard work they did. But as I got older that's all it was. Praises for my parents and what they made. Specifically me.

I didn't hate the fact that they were famous. I loved both of their works, individual and collaborative. For as long as I could remember I loved singing and dancing to their songs. They both commended me, even tried to give some pointers here and there. I wanted to be an idol at one point obviously. Yet I could never reach higher than "Hoshimiya Ichigo and Suzukawa Naoto's daughter." I learned that over my 14 years of life.

School ended no different than any other day. While I watched my fellow students meet up with their friends, planning to go shopping and whatnot, I just packed my notebook and went home by myself. "I'm home!"

My mom popped up from behind the counter with her usual smile and apron. "Welcome home, Momo."

I went to the back slipping on my gray apron. I wasn't the best at cooking but I could help out whenever I could. At least it was Monday which meant our bento shop wasn't that busy. When I got in the kitchen I saw that it was missing someone. I poked my head to the front. "Mom? Where's grandma?"

She handed a customer's his box. "Ah Mama went to Raichi's. Ami and Haruki kept them up all night so Mama is watching over them." Ami and Haruki were my new twin baby cousins that were born about 3 months ago. Uncle Raichi and Aunt Noelle are still new at parenting that they often asked Grandma to help them out. When she wasn't doing that she was attending the kitchen of the shop. As grandma got older she wasn't able to handle our bento shop by herself so mom took over. I would have to say that grandma was still abnormally energetic for her age. Sweet lady.

"Hey Momo. Do you think you could do the grocery shopping today?" She pointed at the paper on the counter with writings on it.

"Sure." I cleaned my hands off picking up the shopping list. I read the writing with my mom's little pointers scribbled all over the place. Things like what colour the fruits should be and certain brands that taste better. I chuckled seeing my mom's little drawing of herself with a thumbs up.

* * *

I doubled checked all of the items in the bag making sure that I had everything. 'Tomatoes, seaweed, strawberries, leeks, bread, eggs. I wonder what mom's making for dinner with this? Maybe... Actually I can't even begin to understand mom. I don't know how dad does it.' I gave a sigh lunging the bags home.

 _Itsuka wa sono te mo sono nukumori mo  
Todokanai basho e kiete shimau no  
Mawaru hoshi no honno katasumi de  
Futari iki wo suru hanarenai you ni_

I stopped in my tracks hearing someone singing. It was a boy's voice accompanied by an acoustic guitar. It was quiet yet still seemed to be echoing all around me. I felt a brush of wind against my face. Not knowing what to do I felt myself getting I drawn into it.

Pushing myself against the flow of the crowd I followed the sound of the guitar. The notes were choppy, hesitant but practiced. They weren't hard chords however it missed the flow that an experience player would not have troubled with. It was a beginner's work from the sound of it.

 _Waratta koto mo naita koto mo  
Kinou no you ni omoidaseru  
Dare ni nani wo iwarete mo  
Kore wa boku dake no takaramono_

Meanwhile the voice. The voice? He couldn't reach some of the higher notes needed that he messed up the overall song. He couldn't control his breathing either, creating strange gaps in between the lines as he stretched out the words. I couldn't describe what it was about this rookie. Despite lacking in technical skill he still captivated my full attention. It's been a long time since anyone did that. His voice sang with such raw emotions of love and sadness with perfect control over his lyrics' message. I stumbled out of the crowd, finally finding the source of the music as I stood alone in the mass of shoppers, staring at the boy sitting in the district's circle.

 _Omoi wo tsunaide, zutto, zutto  
Kimi ga doko ka ni kienai you ni  
Kimi ga mata waratte kuretara  
Kitto sore dake de  
Daijoubu dakara_

No one else saw nor heard him. Except me. He didn't have any music sheets only sitting in casual clothing with a school bag resting by his feet. His caramel brown hair didn't go further than his ears while his eyes remained closed letting his fingers dance on the strings. His fingers had bandages on the tips showing his amount of time spent practice. I remembered my hands being like that when dad first taught me.

" _Nee arigatou, gomen. Oyasumi_." He strummed the last chord, letting the last note reverberate on its own. He slowly opened to emerald eyes while looking attentively to his wiggling middle finger shaking the chord. On instinct, my body clapped frivolous at his song. His image took a 360 when he raised his head towards me. He gave a small squeal, picked up his guitar case and school bag before running away.

"Wait!" I extended my arm out for him. He looked back for a second then continued running. I was dumbfound.

* * *

I unconsciously followed my feet home having my head filled with nothing but his voice. I didn't greet my mom at the door only filling the fridge up with the groceries before going to my room. I sat by my desk with my worksheets spread out. I was always one to finish my work. Yet my head was too lost for me to focus. I threw my arms up in frustration letting out an ugly groan. Just who was he? A knock broke my thoughts. I spun in my chair, placing my pencil down. "Momo, can I come in?"

"Sure." Mom opened the door with a tray in hand. She set the tray full of food down on the table taking a seat next to me. Unlike my mom, I inherited more of my dad's amount of food intake. I took the strawberry parfait first noticing that my mom had made one for herself. I did inherit my mother's love of sweets above all. She pushed a few of my sheets looking at nothing but blank answers. "You okay? You seem more... Spacey by the looks of it."

"Yeah I'm fine. Just a little bit more occupied than usual."

"That doesn't sound like my girl." With the spoon still in my mouth I turned to my door. Dad was leaning against the door frame still in his work suit.

"Naoto! You're home early." Dad walked behind mom to place his chin on top of her head. Mom shared a bite of her parfait with him which he took pleasantly.

"So what's this I hear about my girl not being able to pay attention to her schoolwork? Is her mother's genes finally waking up in her?" Mom playfully hit him on the chest.

"Hey dad, you said that Starlight is opening up to boy idols too, right?"

"Yeah, new policy from our new headmaster." Dad took out a flyer from his bag handing it over to me. It was a multicolored promotional poster filled with silhouettes of boy idols with the Starlight logo in the middle. Starting in the spring, auditions would start for both boys and girls to enter Starlight Academy to become idols. An untapped breakthrough in idol history by its new headmaster, Kiriya Aoi.

"What brought this up?" He asked.

"Today I heard a boy singing in the shopping district." I paused remembering his voice. "He reminded me of an idol." They smiled at each other.

"She looks like you when you talked about Kanzaki." Mom nodded happily. Kanzaki? As in Kanzaki Mizuki?

"Like looking in the mirror." I turned myself to the little stand up mirror on the desk. My black, shoulder length, curled end hair shaped my round face, no different than usual. My golden eyes stared at my reflection wondering what they were talking about. Besides my love of sweets and my round face I was told that I resembled my dad more, personality and all.

"As Aoi-chan would say, that's something special." I blinked a few times in confusion.

"What?" Mom grabbed both of my hands smiling with her idol shiny smile.

"Momo. You're sparkling. It's the first time you looked like me. I'm so happy!" She pulled me close giving me a hug rubbing our cheeks together. I held my parfait out of her arms reach careful not to spill any. She cried an extreme amount of happiness tears like a proud mom would do.

"Mom. Mom!" I tapped her back many times to make her let go. She had a goofy smile on with tears running down her face that Dad had to hand her a tissue. Which she gratefully took. Sometimes they could look like complete opposites. "It's nothing special. Just some music when I was out shopping. It was-" I held the flyer in my hand. "Really nice."

Nice? Nice couldn't even begin to describe what I heard. I heard many people sing before. Never had I heard such a combination of exquisite emotions and a chaos of technique. A mash of a professionalism attitude and a rookie shyness. This was a new sensation.


	2. The Rookie

Thank you to Elcall, Guest and 91101TakaharaShiori01995 for reviewing and other readers/ followers.

Guest: I hope I can keep the characters in character. That sounds weird.

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED

Hey (ねえ) by Wotamin

Momo's POV

"Welcome home, Momo. How was your search today?" Mom asked when I walked through the door. She was cooking dinner in the kitchen with grandma beside her. Dad was probably still at work from the looks of it.

"Nihility. Absolutely nothing." I placed my school bag by the table legs then started to help set up the table.

It's been about a week since I last saw the mystery boy. I've been visiting the shopping district every day after school hoping that he would show up. I didn't see him once. No school uniform, generic bag and so no distinguish clues. I tried asking around yet no one ever noticed a boy singing in the circle. An occasional boy with a guitar case nothing more to catch their attentions. Maybe he wasn't even real but my mind just playing tricks on me. I probably sounded like a complete stalker for being obsessed with the stranger. He could have been a serial killer with a passion for music for all I knew. At least the weather was getting warmer so I didn't have to stand out in the cold for long periods of time.

I set down napkins on the table with a heavy sigh. Why wasn't he showing up? He seemed like the shy type but does he really have to hide away? What would mom do at a time like this? I closed my eyes picturing cartoon me with mom's signature red ribbon. I would stand up on a bench to scream at the top of my lungs. "Hello random shoppers! I'm looking for this boy who was singing on the district circle who I know nothing about! Please help me find him so that I talk to him!"

I shook my head of the thought, slapping my cheeks. 'No way could I do that! I would scare not only the rookie but the shoppers too. I need a different method.' I looked at mom and grandma cooking happily together. Meanwhile I was wasting my time trying to find a total stranger in hopes of just talking to him. He had to show himself eventually. But what if he didn't though? Would I just be stuck here for years without ever seeing him? I can't spend my life just hoping that he'll show up. What about the bento shop? I haven't helped mom in a week since my search started. Grandma was probably up to her neck with the shop and the twins as it is. Especially since Aunt Noelle would have to get back to work soon. I have to help out soon. 'If he doesn't show up tomorrow then I'll stop.' I decided.

* * *

I was sitting down on the bench in the same spot that I saw him on. The sun was starting to set giving off a chilly air. I pulled my jacket a bit closer filled with doubt. I watched each passersby going on with their individual lives. After today so will I. I looked up to the sky watching it paint itself into a mix of violet and orange. 'He really isn't coming.' I gave out a sigh.

I straighten out the skirt of my school uniform. 'How stupid can I be? Waiting for someone to show up? I wasted all this time for someone that wouldn't give me the time of day. Why? Because... I could still hear it.' It wasn't the boy's skills that surprised me. It was the power behind it.

I glanced to the side of the bench that I was sitting on, remembering how the boy's gentle eyes and smile looked fondly at the guitar. Dad always told me that music could speak what people couldn't say with words. What was he singing about? I want to know. I want to know what can cause such rich music to come from someone. I want him to listen to me.

I placed my right hand on my chest controlling my breath. I didn't have accompaniment so it could be strange. I could hear it though. The melody that he sung with his heart. The same one that drew me to him in the first place. Closing my eyes I took a breath in.

 _Waratta koto mo naita koto mo_

 _Kinou no you ni omoidaseru_

 _Dare ni nani wo iwarete mo_

 _Kore wa watashi dake no takaramono_

Its not good enough. Music was not just plagiarizing one's song and feelings. I couldn't give him a message if I just copied his style. I needed to make this song my own. I started tapping my foot faster. Taking in a deeper breath I started to sing with my heart. Throwing my voice into the wind I wanted to make sure he heard me.

 _Omoi wo tsunaide zutto zutto_

 _Anata ga doko ka ni kienai you ni_

 _Anata ga mata waratte kuretara_

 _Kitto sore dake de_

 _Kono te wo_

 _Tsunaide_

 _Watashi wo_

 _Tsunaide_

 _Ah!_

I took a second to catch my breath.

 _Nee arigatou, gomen,_

 _Oyasumi._

I ended off singing my quiet appreciation. I heard clapping around me. Opening my eyes I found that a few people had gathered to listen to me. I felt myself blush a bit until I saw the one I was looking for, still in casual clothing of a white and teal striped shirt with brown khaki pants. He stood still not even clapping either. I bowed once to the audience then approached him.

I stood in front of him wondering what I should say. I didn't actually expect him to notice considering that I haven't seen him all week. "You memorized my song after hearing it one time?" He asked in amazement.

His voice was slightly deeper than his singing which was natural for singers. "It's kind of hard not to. It's the only thing I've been hearing for the past week. Are you free to talk right now?"

We took a seat on the same bench. We sat in comfortable silence as he fidgeted with the strap of his bag. I looked fondly at his hands. They had less bandages on his fingertips. It meant that his skin was thickening from all the practice. An amazing amount of progress in a week. "So how long have you been learning guitar?" I asked as an icebreaker.

He rubbed the back of his neck avoiding eye contact. "Oh um. Only a few months by my brother's influence. In fact I was just practicing last time when I starting singing on impulse. I wasn't expecting anyone to listen. You really gave me the scare. I'm sorry that I didn't try to talk to you early."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. I did consider the fact that it was a bit strange that I tried to find you. I may have seemed pushy. I should give thanks for listening to me. Even more, I should thank you for singing. It's been so long since I felt myself moved from music. Forgive me for being blunt but how can you sing like that? What were you thinking about?"

He cocked his head a little. His eyebrows scrunched up a little while thinking. "I wasn't really thinking much. I was just playing around and lyrics came too- not to say that I didn't revise it at least- ah- but I still need to fix this one part of the chorus-oh- and this chord that I have trouble remembering- but I'm also not a some great musician. Your take on the lyrics and melody was impressive as well. " Amazing. He created an emotional song on whim. I didn't hear the whole song but already I was enveloped in what he wrote.

"In that case I have a proposition for you. Have you ever thought of expanding your field?" I dug through my bag taking out the Starlight flyer. He hesitantly took it from my hands.

"Starlight academy? Boy idols audition?" He sat there re-reading the flyer a few times. His eyes widen when he fully understood what I was asking. He did a double take between the flyer and I with his eyes bulging out. "Y-you want me to be an I-I-I-IDOL?!"

He shook his head hard enough that it looked like his head was about to fall off. "Impossible! Have you seen those people?! Not just singing. Dancing, acting, commercials, modeling! I can't even imagine myself doing that stuff. I'm sorry to disappoint but that's not me!" He said panicky.

He clutched his bag tightly to his chest while his arms were slightly shaking. "Do you love music?" I asked gently.

"Yes! Oh um-" He shrank back behind his bag. "I'm still kind of new to it. My fingers hurt after all the cuts and cramps. Sometimes it becomes difficult to breathe after singing for so long. Money for my guitar and lessons can be cutting it close in payments- but I don't get me wrong, I do love it. You can probably tell that I'm not exactly great at talking." He gave a weak chuckle at his own rambling. "Music was different. When I started playing around with lyrics and rhythm, I just loved it more." I looked into his eyes seeing the same sparkle that came after his singing. I carefully took his left hand, feeling the rough, calloused skin against mine.

"I know it's a bit sudden but I knew it from the get go. A fresh breeze that brings a new kind of technique into the world of idols. That's who you are. I believe- no - I know that your music will reach the hearts of people who listen to you. Not just me. If you can create a song like that just what can you do when expanding your knowledge and experience. In the future I can't even imagine the amount of potential you have once you expand your skills. I see that kind of idol in you." I felt his hand tighten under mine.

"Do you really think so?"

"I know so." I said without any moment of pause. He held up the flyer again.

"Then I'll try. I want to make music. I-I want to be an... Idol." He whispered the last part quietly while his face turned a light pink. "T-then what about you? Are you an idol too?"

"Me? No way." I detached my hand resting them behind me. I looked up to the sky seeing that the purple and orange had already turned to navy blue. "My mom and dad are really big in the industry. If I went into it I'll just be compared to them. That's just how influential they were. Still are actually." I reached my arm up towards the two stars that shined close together. "I wanted to be an idol but what's the point if I'm going to outshine by their names every time."

"Then why don't you shine brighter?" A chill was sent down my spine. 'Outshine mom and dad? Is that even possible?' I dropped my hand looking over to him.

"My parents are Hoshimiya Ichigo and Suzukawa Naoto." His jaw immediately dropped. He shot up a fairly short distance away from me holding his arms out in front of him. Shaking his arms in a sporadic manner he clearly stated the distance between us.

"Y-you mean the top idol and rock star, Star couple?! Wait. You're their daughter?! This all makes perfect sense! No wonder why you were able to sing so well." My eyes downcasted to my lap.

"Yeah that's them." I should have known that he would react like this. There was barely anyone that didn't recognize their names. One second they're complimenting me the next my parents. Mom would have found the rookie by shouting out her request and people would have listened. Dad would have gone with the logical approach by simply being more patient and wait for him to show up on his own accord. Compared to them I took a big risk in singing out. It was pure luck that he showed up.

He blinked a few times slowly lowering his defenses. He awkwardly rubbed his arm. "S-sorry. I didn't mean it like that. But even if your parents are the Star couple I think that you can still shine brighter. You were able to change my song into your own by modifying the tempo, lyrics and adding adlibs. Some people acknowledged you regardless of your parents. That was your own talent. I think that you can shine by yourself." He offered me his hand. I looked up watching a new light hit him, taking my breath away.

This time it wasn't just his eyes that was sparkling but everything about him. An idol aura of a music staff with jumping light green fluffs that had small round animal ears poking out the top danced around him. A small animal that loves music more than anything. "If your parents are the shinning stars then you should the moon. Maybe even the sun? Oh but then there's Soleil. Maybe um... Do you know another big star?" His aura shined a bit brighter when he gave me a timid smile.

I felt my heart swell with hope and a light feeling. 'This rookie was meant to become an idol.' I took his hand pulling myself up. "I guess it's only fair that I give it a shot after dragging you in. I'm Suzukawa Momo and I'm going to outshine my parents."

"Higawari Shouta and I'm going to show people my music."


	3. Auditions

Thank you to Elcall, Aipom4 and Magic Myu for reviewing and other readers/ followers and favorite-ers(?)

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED  
*Long Road by W-inds

*Idol Activity by Aikatsu

Momo's POV  
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WANT TO BE AN IDOL!" Mom tackled me down at the dinner table with tears of happiness running down her face. I had just told everyone in the family that Shouta and I would participate in the auditions. Mom and grandma obviously loved the idea. Dad, on the other hand, looked a little more concerned.

"Momo, have you thought this through? Auditions are in a month. You haven't attended singing or guitar lessons in years. Idols go through high amounts of training every day. It's not all fun and games that your mom makes it looks."

Mom quickly regained her composition and looked me straight in the eyes. "That's right. Aikatsu is no laughing matter."

"I know that. Aikatsu is something all of you devoted a good part of your life too but I still want to try. When Shouta-kun told me that I should try to become an idol I felt something stir in me. Something that told me that I could be one."

"You can't base such an important decision on one compliment. Some people won't compliment you as an idol. There are times when people will criticize you on the slightest of details. They can disregard everything you worked for over nothing. Can you handle that?" I was shocked at the way mom talked to me. This was the first time mom spoke like this. With a commanding voice. All my life I knew her to act laid back and carefree. Aikatsu was just that important to her. My hands held each other tightly.

"I just don't want to live in your shadows anymore." I whispered. Everyone looked stun as mom slowly moved back into her chair. "I have no friends at school because all they want to talk about are my parents. I quit singing and guitar because they always said that you guys were better or that I was truly was your daughter. How was I suppose to enjoy that?" My hands relaxed. "Then I found Shouta-kun. Someone that was able to inspire me and vice versa. His compliment made me happy not because he said I was good but because he made me believe in actually being able to be more than you guys. It may be just one compliment but it was the first time that anyone complimented me for me. I want to be an idol that shines better than the Star couple. Is that so wrong?"

The table was silenced. "I think it'll be a good idea." My ears perked at grandma suddenly speaking up.

"Mama!"/ "Ringo-san!" Mom and dad said at the same time.

"Why should we hold her back? Ichigo, you became an idol after Mizuki-chan. Naoto-kun, we went into music because we loved it. Momo's going in for a different reason. To prove who she is. If you guys tried to hold her back she'll only go through life wondering. I held back telling Ichigo about my Masquerade days because I didn't want to influence her decision. Momo doesn't have that advantage but she was still able to make the decision on her own. Aikatsu is hard work but it can be wonderful as well. Don't you agree?"

Mom and dad looked at each other. Dad shrugged his shoulders leaving it to mom to make her decision. I sat with my back straight. She pouted her lips a bit then let out a little sigh. "I really did love being an idol. Momo if you're serious then we'll support you. It's been a while since I saw you so excited about anything. My usual reserved daughter finally spoke up for herself. Your three fans will support you then. I'm sure Raichi and Noelle-chan will back you up too."

Everyone gave me a supportive smile. "Thank you mom, dad, grandma. I'll make sure to try my best. Starting today!" I finished my dinner in a hurry. After placing my dishes in the sink I ran up the stairs.

"What are you going to do?" Dad yelled. I stopped halfway up, looking through the railing.

"To study the lyrics and dance. I told Shouta-kun that we would start tomorrow." I continued my run.

"Wait! What do you mean by stud-" I slammed the door closed before dad could finished. I needed complete focus.

* * *

The next morning I woke up early to start training. I knocked on Shouta's door. We gave each other our contact information yesterday so that we properly arranged a training time. We settled on early in the morning. Shouta made that obvious when he, half asleep, opened the door. He covered his mouth while yawning only snapping awake once he realized that I was already ready. "S-Suzukawa-san! Sorry! I'm not use to waking up so early on the weekends." He bowed in guilt.

I planned for us to meet up around 6 am not counting the bus time needed to travel to Shouta's house on the other side of the town. Last time I checked it was a bit past 6:30. A bit later than I wanted but good enough. I would just need to re-calculate for tomorrow. Looking over to see how drowsy Shouta was, it was probably best to stick to his preferred schedule. "Morning to you too but drop the formalities. We'll be working together for a while so it'll be best if we get along."

He raised his head blushing a little. He turned around to lock the door, mishandling the keys a little almost dropping them. "Th-that makes sense... Momo-san." He whispered my name. Though he wasn't facing me I could tell that he was still blushing. It was still a little formal but a working progress.

He gestured for me to lead the way. However, I did not know my way around this part of town so he had to walk slightly ahead to the neighborhood park. The sun had only begun to rise yet was still bright enough for the automatic lamp posts to turn off. Morning dew was developing on the leaves mixing in with the light mist giving off a tranquil feeling. Great time for exercise when there were less people around and no heat bearing sun.

We had already discussed the schedule for our training yesterday night. First we would start with light exercises to warm up the body and build up our stamina. Second we would work on the song. Finally would be learning and perfecting the choreography. Since I knew more about idols I also made sure to include some breaks in between so that I could help him with some fundamental lessons like clothes coordination and the Aikatsu system. For now we planned to focus on the basics.

After about 10 minutes of jogging it was apparent that Shouta wasn't the athletic type. He was panting heavily trying to keep up with me. His chanting 'Aikatsu' was just getting worse. I slowed down my pace jogging beside him. "Break?"

"Agreed." He fell to his knees wiping the sweat off his forehead. I grabbed his hand pulling him back to feet.

"Remaining stationary after exercising is flagrant. Judging by your panting you're at your VO2 Max. At this point your carbon dioxide concentration is prohibiting the excretion of other otiose products like lactate acid. Thus an accumulation in the muscles, accruing prospective lesion and et cetera." He looked at me with his head tilted and eyebrows scrunched together. I could already picture little question marks floating around his head. "In simple words, we should always cool down after exercising to avoid possible injuries. How about a short walk?"

I released his hand to grab my phone and earbuds out. I gave him one earbud and put the other in mine. Shuffling through my playlist I found the song to play. After he put the other bud in his ear I clicked play. " _Long road_?" He questioned.

I nodded. "Its best to make use of all the time we have rather than wasting it. _Long Road_ is the song for the boy's audition so we'll listen to it together and _Idol Activity_ later. How does that sound?"

"I'm okay with anything as long as I can catch my breath."

"You did well for your first day. You might be a little sore for a while though. You'll get used to it." I looked at my phone watching the timing. "Listen to this part again." I re-winded the song a few seconds. "Hear how there is a small pause between the first verse and the chorus? I think that this was meant to be a part for the special appeal. Since we can't do that yet I was thinking you could do an adlib to fill it in. That way you hype it up before the main section."

I took out my earbud handing over my phone for him.

 _Iki saki tsugeru kumo ga._ I counted in my head to the melody, marking the dance down making sure to just get the gist. At this point I was glad that there weren't a lot of people around.

 _Kaze ni chigirete wakareteku_

 _Ano hi kimi ni sayonara sae iezu_

 _Soshite miushinatta yume mo, woahh._ I paused my dance not finding the need to continue further.

He dragged his finger across the screen, replaying a bit more before the part. I could hear him humming his part while his fingers tapped on his thigh. A paradigm in musicians. Though his guitar plucking could use some work last I heard, his musical sense was still impeccable. "I think that could work. It fits in nicely. I would need to practice the pitch and timing a little but it could also make me stand out."

"That's the point. Still, we have to be careful and find the perfect balance. With everyone having the same song and choreography the judges look for someone that's able to stand out from the norm within limited barriers. Most people would stick to set lines that they are platitudinous. Others would go out of line to stand out that they appear recalcitrant and ostentatious-" I cut myself of when I saw his eye twitch in confusion. "They are seen either as boring or uncooperative and attention seeking, all unqualified qualities for an idol. That's why balance is important."

"I've been thinking this for a while but Momo-san must have been top of her grade, aren't you? You were even able to dance to _Long Road_ even though it was my audition piece. Your vocabulary and preparation skills are way beyond me."

"It's not that hard to develop. Without singing and guitar in my life I didn't really have anything else to do in my spare time. I would help out in my grandma's slash mom's bento shop every once in a while. That was pretty much it. No friends plus no hobbies equals extra study time. Besides I was marking the dance. Simple as that."

"Regardless of reason, I think that you are amazing." He handed me back my phone. I looked at his face studying his eyes. He look down to the ground with his corners of his lips pointed slightly up.

"Is there something else you want to say?" I haven't know Shouta for long but he wasn't the hardest person to read. Whenever he was nervous he would stutter and blush. By complimenting me with a straight face, he was either full of confidence or hiding something.

"E-eh?" He flinched. Awkwardly he rubbed the back of his neck. "W-well um, how do I say this?" I gave him a second to process his words "When you were demonstrating the dance I felt as if you were kind of just doing the dance. There was nothing behind it. That could have been because you were marking or because you didn't practice my part that much, but I think Aikatsu should be more fun."

My mind clicked. Whenever mom and grandma would talk about Aikatsu there was a smile on their faces. With all of my studies I didn't bother to hang out with people and I never thought that it would affect my social skills. If I was going to be an idol I needed to not only perform my best, I would need to be more open to the audience. Shouta's singing, though needing work, wasn't the part that drew me to him but the emotion behind it. Showing his emotions was second nature to him, opposite from myself. "You're right. I'm so used to just sticking to fundamentals that I dove straight to studying for the audition. Aikatsu is supposed to fun."

I pinched both of my cheeks, shaking my head to get rid of the stiffness in my face. "Thanks. You need to loosen up a bit too. I told you that we would be together for a while so don't be so tense. I think that we make a good combination. With your emotionally expressions and my techniques, we'll get into Starlight no doubt."

* * *

"How was it?" I asked as Shouta exited the interview room with heavy shoulders. The audition consisted of three parts, a small interview, coordinating an outfit then the performance. Shouta had just finished his interview portion.

"No good. I'm pretty sure that I said all I needed to but they couldn't possible understand through all of my mumbling and stuttering. I don't even remember most of it. I probably rambled on like usual. Did you even see those other people in the lobby? They were all wearing fashionable clothes and were practicing with no trouble." He gave out a sigh. "I don't think that they would want someone like me to be an idol."

"I think that it gives you edge over the others. You were honest with yourself. The main purpose of the interview is to get an essence of your character. By being shy you set yourself to be a lower dog until you stand up on stage. Once on stage nothing else matters but the performance. You're sure to blow them away for that."

"Number 27092. Entree number 27092. You're up." I gave Shouta a quick pat on the shoulder before walking over to the audition room attendant. He checked my number before letting me walk into the room.

The room consisted of four judges, including Headmistress Aoi and three others that I only recognized from visiting dad at work once. They sat together by a long table with a few papers in front of them. Next to them was one cameraman on standby. The camera was facing a single chair that was meant for me. I walked over with full control on my body to the chair. "Hello. My name is Suzukawa Momo, fourteen years old, auditioning to be first year Starlight student." I bowed.

"Suzukawa-san, this is a standard interview so there is no need to be worried." Aunty Aoi started. Though I met Aunty Aoi on many occasions, it was obvious that we would need to remain professional.

I gave a nod taking my seat. "Great. So Suzukawa-san, what makes you think that you can be an idol?"

"I was recommended. Another one of the contestants, Higawari Shouta, and I said that we would become idols together for the point of reaching our goals. Over the past month we have been practicing to our limits, learning and having fun with Aikatsu. I don't believe that I have the right to become an idol over others that practiced for most of their lives. I just believe in the fact that I worked hard to earn the confidence I have to sit in this spot. I think I can be an idol because I have people supporting me."

"Higawari Shouta-kun was the timid boy that came in a little while ago, was he not? The idol world is harsh and to rely on each other so heavily can be hard. If you cannot stand on your own then you might not be able to make it. If you two did not did not meet then would you have become an idol?" Another teacher asked.

"No." I answered without hesitation. "We became a pair because of our complimentary personalities. He was missing the fundamentals for Aikatsu meanwhile I was missing a way to connect with others. Idols may have to stand on their own at times but that is not that way all the time. Being alone all the time it gets drab. I would know from personal experience. By learning from Shouta-kun I learned to enjoy my time doing something other than studying. I would not have become an idol without him because it wouldn't have been enjoyable."

The teachers smiled among each other. "Higawari-kun said the something along those lines as well. That he wouldn't have thought to be an idol without you by his side. What a nice pair they are." Aunty Aoi said to the other teachers to which they agreed.

"Suzukawa-san, we just have one more question. You mentioned a goal for yourself, why do you want to be an idol and do you believe that sheepish Higawari-kun could actually help you achieve that?"

"When I started training I was filled with passion that I haven't felt in a long time. My goal is to show people that I'm more than my parents but if I have fun along the way, I won't fight against it. I would like to correct you on one statement though." I felt a smug smile come on my lips. "But I'm going to leave it up to Shouta-kun to show you how 'sheepish' he can be. If anyone is going to be by my side during this adventure, it's going to be him."

Their eyes widen at my statement. Aunty Aoi was the only one that looked intrigued in what both of us could bring. "Thank you, Suzukawa-san. We look forward to both of your performances." I stood up, bowing once to them.

"Thank you for your time."

* * *

I adjusted my head piece for the Aikatsu measurement system. Right now was the boy's performance auditions. After training with Shouta I could tell when they made little mistakes. Some boys messed up their footing or couldn't keep up with their levels of stamina. Others would perform perfectly with extra flare that their spots were assured.

"Next up entree number 13023, Higawari Shouta." A small round of applause was given to him. Appearing out of the floor he stumbled to get into starting position. He wore dark forest green pants with a black blazer, the left half being green and black checkered, over a white shirt. 'Nice coordination.' I thought. I was most worried since I couldn't help him out that much in the coordination aspect but he did pretty well on his own.

I caught him shaking a little until he saw me in the audience. I gave him a small thumbs up which eased him a little.

 _Yume ga tayasuku ieta koro_

 _Chizu mo tokei mo sakasa ni miteta_

 _Kimi o mitsumete dakishimete._ I chuckled to myself remembering how nervous he was for this line where the dance move was to hug oneself. He would roll himself into a ball complaining that it was too embarrassing. Now he was confident on the stage to perform the simple dance part.

 _Dakedo honto wa jibun sagashiteta_

 _Iki saki tsugeru kumo ga_

 _Kaze ni chigirete wakareteku_

 _Ano hi kimi ni sayonara sae iezu_

 _Soshite miushinatta yume mo, woahh._ I gave an approving nod when he filled in the silence gap with the adlib we practiced with. This was the start of the main part. He grinned widely at himself letting his aura flow out. Though smaller than the one I saw before yet still noticeable. Green lights only floated around him, spreading throughout the stage.

 _Nakusu mono sae nani mo nai kara_

 _Aruite yukeru mou furi mukanai de_

 _Itsumo no michi mo nemurenu yoru mo_

 _Subete ga asu eto tsunagatteiku_

 _On my own road._

The song finished off with a Shouta adding in his dance movement, a wink before taking a step back pointing down the road he laid for himself. A move he thought of on his own. I looked over to the judges whispering to each other. No doubt that they were impressed in his skill. He bowed at a full 90 degree angle once he finished. Shouta smiled brightly finally being able to stand on the stage.

* * *

I stood in front of the table with Aikatsu cards laid out on top. I would have to choose a top, bottom, and shoes card. From the looks it, most of the cards were a different variety of the Torte coord with a few extra basic cards. Coordination wasn't in my strong suits so I would have to stick to the simpler ones. I took in the blue-gray Torte coord combination. Though it would appear to be an extremely dark image with my black hair, my gold eyes would stand out better. It would also set the basis of my rock image that I inherited from my dad.

I went over to the change room with the cards in hand. 'This is only the start of my Aikatsu.' I placed each card its rightful spot. The machine opened letting me enter.

"Entree number 27092, Suzukawa Momo." I stood on the stage with the judges and Shouta all in view. I took one deep breath.

 _Sā! Ikō, hikaru mirai he hora, yume wo tsurete_

 _Pocket ni hitotsu, yūki nigirishime hashiri dashita ano michi_

 _Shiroi shirts, kaze nabiki_

 _Toberu yo doko made mo_

 _Tama ni wa naki mushi no kumo_

 _Taiyō ga warai tobasu_

 _Nakama datte toki ni wa, rival shinkenshōbu yo_. This was the start. I needed to step up my game. My Aikatsu couldn't start off like this. I don't want it to start like this.

 _Idol (Idol), Katsudou! (Katsudou!)_

 _Go Go Let's go! (Go Go Let's go!)_

 _Goal ni mukatte_

 _Hashiritsuzukeru kimi ga mieru_

 _Fight kureru!_

I ended off with the signature heart hand motion, giving a smile that Shouta help me show off. I panted heavily feeling some sweat develop on my forehead. Applause erupted around me but I was stuck with one thought.

* * *

Shouta and I stood in Starlight main hall flooded with nervous people waiting for the results. Shouta wouldn't stop pacing back and forth that I was convinced that he would leave marks on the floor. He silently mumbled to himself some words of panic. I only caught a few things like him encouraging himself then quickly basing himself. I tried to calm him down but I was in no spot to help him when he couldn't hear me over his mumbles.

"Momo-chan!" I looked away from Shouta finding Uncle Raichi shuffling through the crowd. He walked over to me with his camera and notebook in hand.

"Uncle Raichi. Covering the auditions for the paper?" Uncle Raichi was a reporter for the newspaper. Though he focused on idols for the most part, he also covered some important articles. He had a range from idols to serious cases. One I remember a few years back was his article on the mental processes of people going through stress. It was different than his usual topics but still informative and well written. Mom was extremely proud of him that she showed me a few Aikatsu articles that he wrote with Aunt Noelle, who became a kindergarten teacher, when they were younger.

"Yup." He snapped a photo of me. "When Onee-chan told me that you would be auditioning I didn't really believe it." He looked over to Shouta pacing. "Your friend really does an idol scent as well. Both of you guys did really well."

"Well I can name one thing that I did wrong out there."

"Really? Your dance and singing seemed fine. Like a real idol."

"Well for one thing I-" I was cut off when Headmistress Aoi broadcasted her face on the main screen. Uncle Raichi snapped a few photos of her saying something about her being amazing. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Everyone. I really am glad that so many people came out to audition today. Many people shined brightly today that my heart won't stop beating. Idols really are something special." She gave an idol wink with her catch phrase that caused Uncle Raichi to snap more pictures. "Unfortunately, the idol world has a very narrow path. So after careful consideration and input, we were able to select the next generation of Starlight idols. Congratulations to all and I look forward to everyone's future Aikatsu."

Her face disappeared being replaced with a list of numbers. Looking down the list I first found Shouta's number. My heart was loud until I found my number near the middle. I gave a breath of relief as Shouta rested his arms on my shoulder, finally losing all of his strength. I gave him a pat on the head for his hard work. Though I wanted to celebrate I only knew one thing. 'Why couldn't I perform a special appeal like mom could during her audition?'


	4. The Idol World

Thank you to Aipom4 for reviewing and other readers, followers and favouriters.

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED  
*Heart Relation by anime: Dog Days, character: Millhiore (Yui Horie)

Momo's POV  
I stood in front of the Starlight Academy entrance gates with my suitcase by my side. I brushed the ends of the skirt of my new uniform. Starting today I was officially a first year student at Starlight academy. "How nostalgic. It makes me remember about Aoi-chan and I's first day. That's right!" She brought a camera from her purse. "Let's take a picture."

She linked our arms together posing for the camera. We both gave a peace sign and smile. She pressed the button down hearing the shutter. She showed us the picture giving an approving noise. I saw that my mom's smile spread from ear to ear while mine was more casual. You can tell that we weren't alike in anyway. She continued to cling to my arm resting her head on mine. "You really are an idol now. I'm so proud of you." I felt her shift a little beside me to remove something from her pocket.

"One last present from me." She held a card out in front of me. I stood in awe. I took the card as my own, marveling at the way it shined. **The Starlight Tiara accessory card**. The tiara was lined with a blue gems as the base with a multi-colored star gem in the center. This matched the gold stud earrings with a star hanging piece. To finalize it all together, blue, pink, and white mixed pastel wings. I knew this card as the one grandma gave to mom during her idol days, not to mention it being the main piece for the **Star Festival Coord**. I looked at her once to make sure she was sure. She nodded.

"Thank you mom. I'll make sure to treasure it." I gave her one hug goodbye then placed the card in my pocket. I took my first step through the gates. Already from the distance I could see my fellow new students taking pictures and exploring the scenery. I leaned against the wall near the entrance to wait for Shouta to come too. He didn't make me wait long when i saw a car pull up with him inside. He gave his parents a hug goodbye before coming through the gates. He hesitantly walked through the crowd, careful not to bump into anyone. I jump scared him a little when I tapped on his shoulder.

"Hey. Nice uniform." I circled him while he squirmed under my gaze. Similar to the girl uniform it had the colors of white and blue. He wore white dress pants with a dark blue, closed, blazer and a red tie all being neatly kept along with his guitar case hanging off his shoulder.

"T-thanks. Yours's looks nice on you." He whispered.

"You should watch what you say, Higawari." I looked behind me to find dad in his work uniform, holding a small binder behind his head. He gave me a small rub on my head. Shouta was still as stone looking at my dad.

"Don't worry Shouta-kun, dad is basically harmless." I wrapped my arm around his shoulder showing dad how close we were.

Dad gave a small sigh. "Just wanted to make sure you guys weren't late. Your student guides will be here soon. Momo, you might learn something new from your guide."

I tilted my head a little when dad left us alone. Shouta got shocked back into reality quickly bowing in dad's direction. "I don't think I made a good impression."

"I wouldn't worry about that. Dad already knows about you or at least he should after I spoke about you almost every day. You've already met mom before so that's something." He blushed until he was red to the ears making me pet his head. He shook his head in a crazy manner trying to shake me off. I retracted my hand giving a little smile.

"You guys seem really close." I felt myself stunned from the presence beside me. I spun quickly taking a step back from the mystery voice. She stood in perfect posture a bit below my height with her Starlight uniform wrinkle free. Her long light blue hair and white tipped ends flowed in the wind only having a violet flower hair clip to keep it out of her pale face and matching paled turquoise eyes.

"Suzukawa Momo?" She took one step forward then held her hand out in front of her. "I'm Takahashi Charlotte. I'll be your student guide today." Takahashi Charlotte. Of course I knew that name. A second year student, cute idol, and above all the current Starlight Queen.

I hesitated in taking her hand. It was hard to believe that someone could have such an intimidating presence. She looked at me with unwavering, sharp eyes not faltering for a second as she shook my hand. I gave a nervous smile when she let go of my hand. "Today is orientation day so we can focus on making sure you're well prepared for your first day. Shall we start with a tour?" I paused before following behind her. Shouta gave me a nervous thumbs up for encouragement when his student guide caught him off guard.

Takahashi first brought me back to my new dorm to drop off my suitcase and bags. Unfortunately I couldn't to meet my roommate for the time being. Bags were already placed on one of the beds so at least I knew I had one.

Takahashi then brought me around the school grounds, keeping a short distance in front of me. She spoke with a dominating voice over me. Her explanations were short and concise. Never straying off topic nor creating conversation based on my life. It was clear that she ruled over Starlight with an iron fist. It made sense though. She was the only one since Kanzaki Mizuki's time, to win Starlight Queen in their first year. Many people are keeping their eyes on her progress to see if she could live up to that standard. That or people would run away from her in fear.

* * *

When she finished her tour off at the auditorium she asked me, "Is there anything you need now?"

"Actually, there is one place I would like to go. Can you show me to the Hall of Stars?" She looked to scowl at me but didn't say anything against it as she turned on her heel. The Hall of Stars. The main attraction of Starlight Academy was off the main hall but one of the first things that dad showed me years ago. Statues of those who once held the top idol status stood in forever memory. Only three of them caught my eye.

First was the statue on the far left, legendary duo unit group, Masquerade. Covering their faces with masks, Miya and Hime shook the world. Singing their top song _Wake up my Music_ , to dancing Johnny Bepp's original choreography to even acting in movies like Stylish Thief Swallowtail. At their peak of popularity they both decided that it was time to hang up their masks. Hime became the previous Headmistress of Starlight while Miya created her own bento shop soon becoming my grandma. A few years ago they performed as a short reunion not missing a single beat proving why their music continued to live in their lives. Even after their retirement their legacy remained in hearts of everyone including the statue across them.

Kanzaki Mizuki. The three time Starlight Queen was inspired by Masquerade's efforts that she become an idol after a one year hiatus from modelling. Since her break never once did she stop rising. She became the leader, and most of the time creator, of groups Tristar, Star-Anis, WM and Aikatsu 8. She officially became a legend when she broke the Aikatsu system. Special appeals, the main course of many performances, requires the stamina of the performer to be impossibly high. Even then the maximum was 3 appeals which she bluntly disregarded by performing 4 all while giving a perfect performance.

I've only met her two or three times in my life. From her gait to the way she spoke, everything about her radiated with professionalism. She spoke without any hesitation, yet still careful of her words. She always knew how to take over the atmosphere just by walking in. What people didn't know was that she was even the reason that Aunt Tiara was able to create Dream Academy. Nowadays, she continues to be a mystery when she gave a sudden retirement announcement before disappearing. With her reputation people thought she would forever remain on top. Only one idol stood on top of her.

The statue on the very end stood was the current top idol, whose spot did not change for more than 20 years. The Great Star-Miya festival, the **Lilac Fairy Coord** , _Etude of Radiance_ everything was made for her on that day to take over Mizuki's spot. My hand brushed over the plaque reading the name, 星宮 いちご. Hoshimiya Ichigo. A genuine idol from the start with the natural ability to attract those around her. On the day of the Great Star-Miya festival, mom officially took over Mizuki's spot in the Aikatsu ranking and has not moved an inch to this day.

Many tried to beat her including her successor Oozara Akari, or Sena Akari as she refers to by now. Though she was able to become Starlight Queen, a title mom never got, it still wasn't enough. Their unit group, Cosmos, was short lived after work began to pile up that their disbandment was not surprising. When her idol days came to an end she continues to work as a weather girl with her past experience. Last I heard she is expecting her third child soon.

Of course, mom had been removed from the current Aikatsu ranking after her retirement yet no one could beat the records that she made. I could probably go on for hours of all that she accomplished. I probably wouldn't even name half of them. I looked up to the statue as it was reaching out to the audience.

'An idol's smile might not be able to fill your stomach but I hope that seeing me on stage today brings at least a tinge of warmth to your heart and that, both today and tomorrow, your lives become just a touch more wonderful.' I re-watched that tape a thousand times. The words of my mom were etched into my mind. Hoshimiya Ichigo was my goal.

I jumped a little when Takahasi's phone started to ring. "Sorry about that." She held one hand up then placed her Aikatsu phone next to her ear. "Hello?... Yes, I have her right here... I understand. We'll be there soon. Bye."

She pocketed her phone. "Headmistress wants to talk to you." She said monotonously.

* * *

Takahashi knocked waiting for Headmistress Aoi to give her permission. "Come in!" She yelled from the closed door.

Takahashi held the door open for me to enter. When I entered I already found Shouta waiting in front of Aoi's desk. He gave me a small wave. Takahashi closed the door behind us while I walked over. "Suzukawa Momo. Higawari Shouta. I want to, first, congratulate both of you. Both of your auditions were exceptional. Your interviews were defiantly the highlight to see."

She spun a bit in her chair then slid two trays onto the table. We both took a few steps forward looking curiously at the cards inside. "These are the cards that you guys used during your audition. Momo-chan had picked the **Aegean- Blue Torte Coord**. Higawari-kun the **Forest Checkered Gentlemen Coord**. Cards are an idol's life so make sure to treasure these."

"Yes!" We both said at the same time. We scooped up our cards into our hands admiring the way they sparkled. Headmistress Aoi retrieved another tray with two Aikatsu phones and two Starlight cards. We both picked up our respected items.

"Along with those are your Aikatsu phones and student ID. Your phones can help you stay in touch, store your cards' data, help sign up or inform you on auditions and much more. Your Aikatsu is just starting from this point out."

"Yes!" I took out mom's **Starlight Tiara card** sliding it into my Aikatsu phone followed by the Torte cards. The phone quickly scanned the information before releasing the cards back out. I would have to get a binder for these soon. Shouta saw what I was doing and copied. He carefully played around with a few of the buttons.

"Now that that business is dealt with." Aoi pushed her chair out then stood up. "It's time for the welcoming ceremony. Are you ready Char-chan?" I looked behind us to see Takahashi's head down. She slowly brought her head back up. She opened her eyes but instead of the pale turquoise eyes that I've been seeing all day, they turned to a dark navy like blue. She smiled brightly which gave me a shock.

"Yes! I'm going to put my heart on the line for the audience!" She winked taking my breath away. Takahashi happily skipped her way out of the office leaving me dumbfound. I've only heard rumors about Takahashi but I never thought it was to this extent. Off stage, Takahashi was intimating and chilling girl that I spent the day with. On stage, with the name "Char", Takahashi became the top cute idol that caused even the toughest people to coo under her. An idol with a split-personality disorder on the opposite sides of the spectrum.

* * *

Shouta and I found some empty seats in the concert hall among our fellow first year students along with the male population that were a part of all three years. It took a while for everyone to get seated but once that was done, Headmistress Aoi stood in front of the podium. She cleared her throat once to silence the hall. "Welcome everyone to Starlight Academy, I'm the Headmistress Kiriya Aoi. Though I've said this many times already, I congratulate everyone for passing their auditions. As of today your Aikatsu is just starting. Starlight Academy has been founded for years now shaping the minds of many to become idols that many look up to. Even though I am new I will try my best to meet the requirements you need to excel. With the help of our experienced staff I hope that everyone can become a wonderful idol."

She received a round of applause. "Now to welcome you even further, the current Starlight Queen, Takahashi Charlotte." The crowd screamed in joy as Headmistress Aoi stepped off the stage. The stage shifted into Angel Neon stage. One of my eyebrows raised when I noticed that it was different than I remembered. Instead of the usual octagonal stage it was changed to include a runway with the main stage at the end. The lighting was even darker than usual giving the standing mic a spotlight. That was the strangest part. If the stage was changed to a runway then why would there be a standing mic?

I recalled back to when I first found about her. Her voice was soft for the most part, fitting for the heart-filled love songs about teenage girls in love. Takahashi emerged from the floor in an **Angely Sugar's Twinkle Angel Coord** 's with the **Twinkle Angel Corsage** replacing her earlier flower hair clip. She waved using her entire arm before closing her eyes. The audience became quiet as the soft music came on.

 _Itsu demo soba ni ita_

 _Anata no sono tonari_

 _Onnaji negaigoto_

 _Dakishimete irareta_

The corners of her mouth pointed up a little with confidence. She opened her new navy eyes causing the audience to scream once more when the back screen came on plastering her performance for all to see properly. The next part caught my attention. She kicked the base with enough force to make it roll down the runway. The music picked up in both tempo and volume.

 _Kono te wo nobashite_

 _Anata ni furetai_

 _Hajimari no kodou wo kiite_

She reached out to the audience releasing her aura of multicolored ribbons, white sparkles and violet flowers. She started dancing the runway making sure to wave at the audience.

 _Kitto tsunagaru Relation_

 _Sora ni egakidasu_

 _Motto yuuki wo atsumete_

 _Tsuyoku tsuyoku kokoro tsunagareru you ni_

 _Aozora no shita_

 _Hibiku kane no ne_ She raised her hand up to her ear, closing her eyes.

 _Mimi wo sumasete_ Walking backwards she inched closer to the edge of the stage.

 _Hajimari wa sugu soko_

At the last moment she turned around. With the short break that she had she perform a Quick Cute Appeal. Landing elegantly back on the stage she made her way to the end of the runway. She grabbed hold of the mic stand from earlier.

 _Kitto tsunagaru Relation_

 _Sora ni hibikasete_

 _Motto yuuki wo atsumete_

 _Tsuyoku tsuyoku kokoro hanarenai you ni_

After the music ended, she gave a bow. The audience went crazy with applause and whistles for her. She removed the mic from the stand holding one hand up. "Hello everyone, I'm Takahashi Charlotte. I'm only a second year idol here but I wish to be a senpai that you can look up to."

* * *

Shouta and I sat in the cafeteria for dinner. We set down our trays at a table for ourselves. I sat for a while playing with my food thinking about Takahasi's performance realizing what dad meant by me learning something from her. "Something on your mind?" Shouta asked.

"Takahashi-senpai's performance is non-sequitur to my credence." I stabbed a tomato down. "My quondam conjecture was that she was bagatelle idol that uses a phantasm to annex a voluminous concourse." I looked up from the tomato to Shouta signaling with his arms crossed over his chest making an x. A signal he made up to tell me when he didn't understand my language. "She's not what I expected. I thought she was just a cute idol that boosted the image to her fan-base."

"Oh, but she is a cute idol, is she not?"

"It's not just that. Everything about her performance was planned out to the smallest detail. First was the mic. In performances they choose between the Aikatsu system and a mic. Since the Aikatsu system can automatically increase sound most people ditch mics so that they can include their hands in the dance. Her first part of the song was meant to be quiet. By kicking the stand away then switching over to the Aikatsu system people would expect the sound quality to decrease but in contrast the song got louder. Giving the illusion of her having being able to scream to the audience. Finally she got her mic back for the climax of the song making her sound more powerful even without an actual change."

"I didn't think about that. Now that you mention it, the sound didn't really change from her original soundtrack."

"Right. Then was her dance and appeal. She made sure to pay attention to her fans to hype up the audience. In the middle of the song she moved closer to the edge with her eyes closed just to turn away at the last second. Not only does that show her crazy amount of practice to trust being sightless, it was also to put everyone on the edge of their seats. Then when everyone was in shock, she performed her special appeal. A Quick Cute Appeal, the fastest type of appeal. If she were to have performed a bigger appeal in that short amount of time, it would have thrown the whole song and dance off. Everything was planned out."

I mixed the tomato in the salad. Takahashi Charlotte was truly worthy of owning the title of Starlight Queen. "I want to pass my mom's status. Both of my parents know that that's my goal. Right now Takahashi-senpai is the top dog here. If I want to get close to who my mom was then I have to get though Takahashi-senpai. Before that there are many other idols that are below her. The idol world is vast so I have to be prepared for the others to come. My dad was trying to warn me about that."


	5. Opposites

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED

*Blaze by Kinya Kotani

Momo's POV

I sat by my new desk, studying the recent auditions. Each idol that passed the audition had their own babyish presence. A small wow factor that showed off who they were creating a wide diversity of personalities. I continued to watch each audition piece, both interview and performance, making note of each person. Some even got fans just from their auditions. Those were the people that I paid extra attention to. Going in alphabetical order I finally reached Shouta.

He tripped over his own feet when entering the interview room. Giving a breath of relief he caught himself before falling any further by grabbing hold of the chair. Off screen one teacher cleared their throat catching Shouta off guard. He remembered his situation that he bowed to the judges. "I-I-I'm Higawara Sh-oo- no wait- Higawari S-Shouta. 14 years old, type AB positive, 159 cm tall, my favorite colour is green-"

"Higawari-kun. Please take a deep breath." Aunty Aoi advised for him. "It's understandable on why you could be nervous but rest assured that this is only a very simple interview."

He shakily gave a nod taking his seat. He twiddled with his fingers looking down at his lap. "So Higawari-kun, why do you want to be an idol?"

"Um-I choose to become an idol because I- well- we- um- me and Momo-san- agreed that we should- would try to achieve our dreams- separate dreams- together. Oh but there's also music! Music is important to me. My brother- older brother- made me interested in music to help me express myself. Momo-san was the one to show me the idol world. So she was the push I needed to get me into idols. We've been training hard these 42 days- so basically around a month-a little more- with the current goal to be idols. So I guess I want to be an idol because- I wanted to? No- a better answer would be because I felt the urge when Momo-san first brought it to me."

"Momo. As in Suzukawa Momo?" A few papers rustled in the background. "It says here that Suzukawa Momo is the daughter of the Star couple and is auditioning to be an idol today as well. It's really brave of you to praise your competition so early in your possible career."

"Competition? I think you have something misunderstood here. Momo-san can be a bit serious at times but that's only because she's focused on her goal. I don't view her as competition in a bad way. I look to her for support and as a force to help me advance myself. Also please do not call her the Star couple's daughter. When she comes for her audition she is sure to show you that she's more than that title."

My pen stopped at his statement. For the first time in the interview Shouta sounded confident. And it was over me. No wonder why the teachers were shocked by my answers about Shouta. Our answers were in sync that it sounded rehearsed. The only reason to explain why it wasn't was because of the fact that interview questions were different for everyone and the way we spoke. I gave a small chuckle at the look on his face. Twitching lips yet unwavering eyes. The teachers whispered among each other not being picked up by the recording.

I glanced over to the hundreds of comments being left. 'Cute *heart eyes*! How admiral to stand up for his friend like that. Shou-chan! I'm defiantly supporting him. Hey, guys check out this audition for the girl he was talking about! He's soooooo shy like a baby but so passionate about his friends! Such a pure child! HIGAWARI SHOUTA FOR STARLIGHT KING!' Comments flooding in as his interview continued. They got even more intense as the clip of his performance came on. Some people even said that they were already his fans and were waiting for more performances. I put a star next to Shouta's name in my notebook.

I heard the door open behind me. Stopping the next audition tape, I swiveled around to the new person in the room. She dressed in a red Starlight tracksuit with a towel wrapped around her neck. From the looks of it she went on a jog with her amber- caramel mixed long hair braided back. She looked at me somewhat surprised with her purple eyes widening.

"Hi there! Sorry I guess this isn't the best meeting impression with me being this sweaty. I wasn't expecting to run for so long. This academy was just so big that I couldn't resist taking a few laps. Oh but I should have expected you to be here. It's late in the night too. Still kind of getting use to this whole ordeal. Can't believe I actually got into THE Starlight Academy. My siblings really doubted me but boy did I prove them wrong. After my performance they were all silenced at me. My gosh! Where are my manners?" She wiped some sweat off her forehead.

"I'm Watanabe Fumiko, your new roommate. Almost everyone calls me Fumi or Miko or Umi, anything is okay with me. I've been call Makimoto before by some kids. Apparently it's from some TV show but I didn't mind much. They were so much fun to play with when they were younger. Man, do I feel old. But look at me just rambling on and on and on." She moved over to the left side bed with her stuff untouched from earlier. "I hope you don't mind that I took this bed. My siblings always choose before me so I really wanted first choice this time. First time by myself, how exciting. Not that you're not here, I meant family wise."

"It didn't really matter to me. I'm Suzukawa Momo, you can call me as you please. I hope we get along, Watanabe-san." If I had to describe Watanabe with one word it would not work. She seemed to have this tendency to run on without realizing. Her interview session was the longest of all of them consisting mostly of her nonstop talking. Filled with that amount of energy made me wonder how she felt at the end of the day.

"I hope that we can get along as well Momo. We're going to be the best-est of friends that are bound for life. I can assure that fact."

I raised my eyebrow at her ignoring honorifics and poor form of grammar. "I'm not sure. I transferred here to become top. Not so much to make friends." Though I found fun in training with Shouta that was only with him.

"Ehh! No fun!" She shook her head. "We're both idols AND roommates. We can't just end our relationship like this. We need to have fun adventures, concerts, auditions. Things to bond us for life. Imagine it. In a few years when I get a lovely fiancée and decide to marry him. I would need a maid of honor. Yeah I can ask one of my sisters but where's the fun in that? I guess it would be a bit more fun if I asked my one of my big brothers. I rather ask my future best friend though. You're candidate number 4. That can be changed though."

"Understand that I would not hold a grudge on you if my ranking lowers." I turned back to my desk connecting my headphones to my new Aikatsu phone. Watanabe fumbled a bit before dejectedly unpacking her bag. I continued watching each audition while Watanabe did whatever she wanted.

* * *

I sat in my chair in the classroom, aimlessly reading the recent news. I heard some people mumble around the room as the sliding door opened. The door slid close quietly along with the hushing of the other students. Someone plopped in the seat next to me druggy placing his bag on the desk. I flinched when I looked at the back of the boy's head when he face-palmed the desk giving out a low groan. It took me a second to recognize the body.

"Shouta-kun? What happen to you? You look terrible."

He moved his head facing me. "My roommate talked all night on the phone to multiple people. One second I would think he was done then he would receive another call. I got barely any sleep."

"I can tell that much." I awkwardly patted down the strands of bed hair down. 'And I thought Watanabe-san was verbose. At least she let me sleep.'

"Don't mind me much. You don't seem very pleased today either. How was your roommate?" He stifled a yawn.

I tilted my head in her direction. "See the girl in the middle? That's her. Watanabe Fumiko."

He followed my gaze to the group of girls in the left corner of the room. Watanabe sat on her desk being surrounded by the greater female population of the class. She unconsciously twirled with her one strained braid from her slightly curled ends, waist length hair. "What's your impression on her?"

"Unmitigated sprightly and palaverous."

"X." He said not having the energy to raise his arms to give me his signal.

"Energetic to say the least. It's a good trait to have as an idol and person in general but she's not what I expected. I would have preferred if my roommate was... calmer." I watched as Watanabe exchanged emails with our new classmates. We were only here for a few minutes how can she already be friends with them? She caught me looking and gave me a big wave. I gave a small one back at her before she resumed conversing with them.

The door slid open one last time as dad walked in wearing his usual suit and weak prescription glasses. "Yes, yes. Please settle down. Class is about to start."

Everyone said a few words to their classmates as they took their seats. Dad placed a small binder onto the podium clearing his throat. "I am Suzukawa Naoto, your homeroom teacher for the year." I only caught several words of people whispering on how popular dad was. "I may be your teacher but I hope that we can establish a relationship where all of you feel comfortable enough to ask me for any help." A few girls swooned at him causing me to feel a little disgusted. I did not want to hear girls fawn over my dad.

"Let's begin with introductions starting with this corner." He gestured to Watanabe and her seatmate. The looked at each other for a second. Her partner seemed to be a somewhat timid at going first that Watanabe stood up taking her place. 'Considerate.'

When she finished her lengthy introduction she gave her seatmate a pat on the shoulder in comfort. Watanabe smiled cheerfully at her giving her the courage to stand for her intro. I hummed in thought that she could change from Watanabe's effortless actions.

* * *

Classes had ended without a hitch. For the most part first year students were just asked to introduce themselves over and over again to the teachers of multiple classes. It was almost pointless since I knew that the teachers were aware of who everyone was beforehand. These exercises were just for us, new, students to integrate into our surroundings. It would be a while before any official auditions and Aikatsu were to happen.

Shouta and I went to the library afterwards. Well, it was more like I went to the library while he caught up on some well needed sleep in the same booth as I. I glanced through my 2 towers of books at Shouta huddling in the corner with his Starlight blazer draped on the top half of his body. This was the reason why we got along so well. He didn't have to come with me. He could have went back to his dorm. Rather, he decided to accompany me because he didn't want to leave me alone. He even sat in silence beforehand instead of trying to make useless conversations while I studied. It was a mutual understanding.

I shook him awake when I noticed the time. It was almost time for the cafeteria to close for the night. He was still a little groggy but at least it was better than no sleep at all. I had him find a table for us and my few books while I fetched us some food.

I handled the two trays with food, a cup of water and a small cake for the both of us, over to our table. I found from the distance that Shouta was talking to another boy with platinum blonde, somewhat, spiky hair and sliver eyes. "To make it up to you here are two tickets to my debut in a week."

The boy handed Shouta two slips of paper. He shook his head in refusal. "D-debut?! In a week?! B-but isn't that too soon?"

"Not really. That's why I was talking on the phone so much. In preparation. Besides I can't keep my fans waiting for too long. I'll also be announcing which brand I decided to be the muse for. I can't put that off any further. Oh, but that's still a secret so I can't say which one yet."

" **City lights** I presume." I said as I placed our trays down. The boy looked shocked as I took my seat.

"How did you know that? No one but my manager and the top designer knows that."

"It wasn't hard to figure out. **City Lights** is one of the newly founded brands dedicated to unisex clothing. While there are others like **Dreamy Crown** that are adapting, there is still a lacking in the male department. The image of the brand was the best fitting for someone of your profession anyways. When news came on that you were still deciding it did not take me long to figure it out."

"So does that mean that I spot a fan of mine in you, Suzukawa Momo-chan? I'm honored." He kneeled in front of me taking my hand into his. I quickly retracted it.

"No, you found someone that is thorough with her research, Snapshot." I placed my hand on top of my three borrowed large textbooks. He stood up and ran his hand through his hair.

"Well I hope that my performance on Saturday will change your opinion on me. Since I already have a great impression on you, Momo-chan, Dobu-kun. You two most definitely caught my attention already." He gave me a wink placing the earlier tickets on the table. He retreated a few tables down to be surrounded by male and females alike. He gave the boys high fives and cheers while giving the girls a blowing kiss.

I mixed my curry and rice a little while eyeing the tickets. "To: Momo-chan and... Dobu-kun?" I read the little note stuck on top.

"Dobu is what he calls me. He says I remind him of a small animal (Dobutsu: どぶつ)." He gave out a sigh. "He came here to apologize for keeping me up all night. I wouldn't have imagined that he would be debuting so earlier."

"You don't know who he is, do you?"

"Should I?" He took out a bite out of his food. "He seems to be more knowledgeable about us for one thing. He did look a bit familiar though. Did we meet him at the audition?"

"It makes sense that you don't recognize him since he's still a beginner idol like us. Allow me to explain then. On top of being your roommate, he is probably the biggest competition you have here."

I brought out my notebook of the idols I watched last night. The binder notebook had tiny tabs sticking out the side. It was arranged into the sections of first, second and third years then further divided into the four types of idols, cute, pop, cool and sexy in different colours then finally as female and male, in order of those ranked of those that stood out the most. I turned to the first year- sexy- male idol section. The leading page of this part was dedicated to Shouta's roommate. I rotated the book towards Shouta letting him see all notes I made.

"Césaire Hayate, more commonly known as Snapshot. Of French father and Japanese mother background, he originally came to Japan at the age of five. Being a mixed culture, he instantly caught the eyes of many agents. He became a model at the age of six and was widely popular due to not only his face but his attitude. From his young age he was managed to capture many hearts based solely on how he acts. Although boy idols are still new, Snapshot is one of the few to already have a name to his face regardless of being a first year. Only one other first year Starlight male idol stands next to him in my personal ranking."

He turned the page looking at some clippings of magazines I glued in. "I didn't think he was that popular already. I mean I knew there was a charismatic factor about him but this is beyond what I imagined. Wait. So who else made a name for themselves? Are there a bunch of others that I'm not aware of?"

"Well the only other person that matches Snapshot is you." Shouta choked on his rice nearly dropping his spoon in the process. I handed him his cup of water which he chugged down as fast as he could.

"M-me?! No way! You even have it in your notes!" He lifted the book at me gesturing to all of Snapshot's facts especially at the rookie awards he won. "Me against Céasire-san? He's even debuting in almost a week."

I flipped my book to the cute idols section. "Higawari Shouta is the first male idol to show an idol aura out of all auditionees. Plays guitar and is able to compose his own original songs. Charm point would be his innocence. Has been gaining fans after his bold interview and proving loyalty to those close to him. Shouta-kun is slowly increasing in popularity as the views of his audition is the highest one so far and continuing to rise."

Shouta's face blew up in red looking away from me. I gave out a small laugh continuing to eat. With my other hand I grabbed the tickets off the table. "So how about it? Do you want view your competition in action?"

* * *

"Amazing. He really brought in a big crowd for his debut." Shouta's eyes kept wandering around the venue looking at the number of people attending. Reporters stuck to the front sideline with his fans huddle near center stage. They held onto copies of his magazine covers squealing to themselves.

The lights soon dimmed leaving the stage bathed in yellow light. The audience hushed themselves until the guest of honor walked on stage. Cheers and camera flashes erupted all together making me jump. He seemed to give a little smile glimmering with pride not even flinching at the sudden noises. Snapshot placed one hand on his chest and bowed. "Bonjour à tous. Hello everyone. I'm sure you already know who I am by coming here but just to make sure you're in the right place, my name is Céasire Hayate. I am currently a first year student at Starlight Academy."

'Mixing in French and Japanese was a nice touch. He even included a little bit of humor to lighten the mood.' "I guess I shouldn't prolong this any further than needed."

This caused the girls to scream out praises. Most of them saying something along the lines of them being okay if he did nothing but babble. He laughed quietly somewhat covering his mouth using the back of his hand. "Merci. Then how about this? I have some very big news. Would you like to hear it?"

He placed his hand up to his ear listening to the positive cheers. He gave approving nods at them. "Well if you insist." We watched as he moved over to the side of the stage. With a snap of his fingers he switched the backdrop to display **City Lights** 's brand logo. A black background having the letters written in white capitalized block letters. On the bottom of each letter was the outline of multiple skyscrapers in black, sliver and gray. The whole logo was filled by small neon yellow circles floating in and around the writing. The biggest eye catcher were the two orange mixed with white silhouettes of both sides of what looked like one boy and one girl leaning their backs against the words.

"I have decided to be a muse for is sexy clothes brand, **City Lights**." More cameras flashed.

The logo shrank in size before moving into the corner of the screen. A new slide show was being played of different outfits on silhouettes of both boys and girls. "As you can see **City Lights** is a brand that brings to life the idea of travelling through the night that people sleep through. The same night that is not dead quiet but filled with the laughter of those willing to adventure out into the beautiful unknown."

Most outfits consisted of a dark colored palette with brightly colored accents. It was true to its motif of having more nightclub look with the comfort of being able to hang out with friends at a late night restaurant. The slide show stopped on the final outfit expanding the size of the image.

Little point boxes appeared next to the outfit. The top card consisted of a fitting, elbow length crimson shirt with gray folded cuffs on the ends of the arms buttoned down. On top was open loose black vest with a yellow neckerchief tied under the shirt's folded collar. The most unique part, though somewhat covered by the vest, the shirt had noticeable sliver intricate line designs on the bottom hem. Finally the card included a pair of maroon leather gloves with a small square on the back hand cut out. Next was the bottom card. Black ripped jeans with a grayish tint that stopped a little above his ankles. Resting off the pockets were metal chains with the four card suits charms hanging off. The shoes card was simplest being dark brown pointed shoes with slight heel. Lastly was the accessories card. A black flat fedora with a white bottom rim resembling a belt.

Snapshot held up the four cards. "I decided to keep today simple. Introducing the **All Night, Night Out Coord**. Cards are an idol's life. Today is my not only my debut but for these cards as well. Together we're going to put on a great show. Yet, before I begin there is someone that everyone should meet. Rika-chan?" A woman with her brown hair tied back in a tight bun wearing a business suit stepped onto stage. He took her hand taking her center stage filling the place in gasps. He raised her hand giving a kiss on the back. Snapshot finally slipped the mic into her hand before winking at the audience. He stepped off stage leaving the girl alone.

She cleared her throat. "If I can clear the air, my name is Rika. I'm Hayate-kun's manager. He has a tendency to play around with people so do not mind him." There was a mixture of laugh and sighs of reliefs. I saw what they were doing though. Rika was a subtle way to introduce his personality. This way the new fans in the audience can be included in knowing who he was. They would also push out the type of image that he has.

"Hayate-kun has always been like that. He was the one that had the final say in what he did. Photo shoots, outfits, what to eat for lunch. I guess that's what happens when you're in the business for 8 years. I wish he become more mature. I wouldn't say that he's not a good person though. He can be incredibly stubborn so please do not mind him too much."

"I think you're exaggerating too much. It makes me look bad." Snapshot stepped out of the side wings in the **All Night, Night Out Coord** nicely fitting him. He removed the hat placing it on his chest airing out his blonde hair. "Some people find me adoring."

'I see. Along with giving out information about him naturally, they also gave him time to change out of uniform. This way he can properly represent his brand. Judging by his manager's mien it seems like he planned most of it, I highly doubt that she's this colloquial on a regular basis. Céasire Hayate. Let's see if your performance can live up to that.' Snapshot exchanged a few words with Rika showing off that they were close. From an outside perspective it looked like the two of them were like mother and son. "I think we should start the performance before my fans get bored. Don't you think, Rika-chan?"

"Let's leave that up to them. Audience what do you think?" Rika asked. The audience erupted in cheers making the two of them smile. "Well Hayate-kun you heard them. Give them the show they've been waiting for."

She left the stage giving a pat on his shoulder. Once fully off, the setting shifted to the Belt- Chained Dome stage. Snapshot gave a charming smile at the crowd as he turned his back.

 _Hatenaki yume motomeru shirube naki sekai de_... He turned around placing on his hat.

 _Kasanaru omoi kokoro tsukisasu kodou_

 _Shizuka ni tsuzuku tamerai mo nai uta_

 _Tooku sora no kanata kara mazariatta bokura no kage_ He held his hand above his eyes shielding it from the lights above

 _Hitsuzen to kimagure no naka shirusareta kioku_

 _Surechigatta toki no uzu_

 _Kuchihatetemo kimi no koe wo shinjite_ He placed his hands on the side of his head spinning it forward, clockwise along with his body.

 _Hatenaki yume motomeru shirube naki mirai de_

 _Boku ga hikari nakushitemo itsuka_

 _Kimi ga tomoshite kureta kirameku mune no honoo_

 _Tsubasa ni kawaru kibou no kakera_

* * *

Snapshot, Shouta and I rode in the van together with Rika driving us back to Starlight Academy. The concert ended in success without any particular problems. "Good work today, Hayate-kun. I checked the Aikatsu ranking a little earlier. You already raised nine places up. An impressive feat for your debut. It's only going to get busier from now on. I'm expecting great things."

"Thank you. You can count on me, Rika-chan." He ran his hand through his hair. "So how was I you two?"

I pondered a little on if I should tell him. "It was apparent that you are a neophyte. For a new idol it makes sense but for someone of your caliber and savoir- faire, I expected extra. You have the resources others don't yet it still was not enough. The sole reason you're ranking raised so much was due to the lack of status. Only a few boy idols have contributed their debuts into scene. In total, a basic performance from someone who exclusively knows how to model." Rika slammed on the breaks causing us to launch forward being held back by our seat belts.

"Sorry." She muttered under her breath then continued to drive. I saw the way she looked offended in the mirror. She was his manager so it was reasonable that she would react to me criticizing her client.

"W-well that was a very honest answer. I guess that's what makes you so unique. Intelligent indeed." 'Even in times of stress, he's trying to maintain his gentleman image.' "How about you Dobu-kun? What did you think?"

"I thought that you handled yourself well. You kept the audience entertain and you didn't stumble or anything of the sort. I could never act that confident in front of that many people." Snapshot gave a prideful grin.

"Word of advice Snapshot. Shouta-kun is an honest person but he's not hurtful. If you want to know what he truly thinks then you have to tell him specifically."

"Dobu-kun, please do not sugar coat it. What did you think about my debut?" Shouta flinched a little at his question. He avoided eye contact.

"Your performance was lacking. I wouldn't call it bad but it wasn't the best. Your clothes were really cool and it matched the stage. It was more based on your song and dance that was the problem. _Blaze_ was written to a rock song with a message of continuing your dream in times of despair. You were so focused on pleasing the audience that the song was undermined as background music as well as your dance."

Snapshot eyes widen. He was absolutely flabbergasted. The car pulled up to Starlight Academy's front gates. Rika looked at us from the mirror, her eyes telling us to get out. Snapshot was the first one to step out taking shaky steps. Shouta's face plastered with guilt seeing the effect of his words on him. I was the last one to walk out thanking Rika for the ride. She huffed in anger, snarling under her breath. Snapshot took deep breaths soothing himself. He straighten his uniform, muttering some words in French that I couldn't translate nor hear. "C'est bon. Juste leur opinion." (It's fine. Just their opinion)

"I-I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I really did enjoy your show, your fans too. It shouldn't matter if the two of us have a few points. You can always improve. Right, Momo-san?" I didn't respond. I was more focused on how Snapshot was handling himself. He was trying hard uphold his image holding back any show of anger. It was an ugly colour after all.

"Dobu-kun, I'm going to retire for the night." He gave a heavy sigh dragging himself in the direction of the boy's dorms.

"Was it just me or did he seem upset? I think I really upset him. Do you think that he'll hold it against me? Oh I really hope that I didn't just make an enemy. We hadn't really talked much this week so I wonder where we stand. I really did not want to get on anyone's bad side. He's my roommate above all. We'll be together for the whole year and he probably already hates me. I wish we can get along like you and Watanabe-san." I walked next to him.

"I wouldn't say get along per say. It's more like she does her own thing in the bed next to mine. Like you two, we haven't talked much. Only one-sided conversations. You can already assume which side. Besides Snapshot did ask for your honesty. Now that he heard it differ from his desired statements, he needs merely some time to process it."

"But even so, they're our roommates. I thought we would be able to make new friends. I guess opposites don't always attract."

A light bulb went off in my head. "Wait a second. That's it! Shouta-kun you're a genius!" I grabbed him by the shoulders shaking him slightly. "Do you know what Aunty Aoi's title was before she took on Orihime's mantle?"

"Um t-the idol professor?"

"Exactly." I let go of him taking out my Aikatsu profile binder. "Aunty Aoi knows anything and everything about idols. She knows what makes an idol shine better than anyone. That's why former headmistress Orihime asked her to take her place upon retirement. Now think about it. Why would the idol professor place two complete opposite people in a room together for a year, not just once but twice?"

He hesitantly shook his head saying he had no idea. "It's because as idols we meet a variety of people that can inspire us. Starting with our roommates." I took out a pencil and flipped to Snapshot's page. I scribbled down the word foibles. "Snapshot's main focus is to keep up his image that he goes against his will of acting out in any way that it even effects his performance." I flipped pages to Shouta's, writing down the same subtitle. "Shouta-kun, you're lacking in any skill needed in the field that is not related to music ruining your levels of confidence."

I flipped to the first year- pop -girls' idols. "Watanabe-san acts irrational, purely on the instinct that others should act similar to herself." I went to the cool section. "Meanwhile I can only react after analyzing the situation and going with the best solution. Not to mention that she is excessively talkative. Both of us have roommates that are on different sides of the spectrum from one another. Yet coincidentally these opposites have a strength that is our weakness. Our best bet is to learn from them. Understand what makes them able to excel at what they do. That way we can cultivate on our own skills."

"So we should try to become a better person by associating ourselves with good people? Maybe learn a few tips here and there as we continue our relationship? Is that right?" I nodded. "You're saying we become friends with them?"

My face scrunched up taking in everything. "Am I?" What a strange turn of events.

* * *

Thank you to Aipom4 and Elcall for reviewing and other followers, favoriters, and readers.

Aipom4: So I just thought I should give a little note about my idols. Momo, her rival and another boy idol will be cool. Shouta and Charlotte are cute. Fumiko and a unit group are pop. Finally is Hayate and another girl idol being sexy. Just thought you (and other readers) should know.

Elcall: It's okay if you don't review for every chapter. I'm just surprised that people are actually reading my story.


	6. Don't Try

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED

*Feel so good by Supercell

Momo's POV

"Good morning Fumiko." I closed the door behind me going to my side of the room. I neatly placed my bathroom items in their rightful spot looking to her once finishing. Fumiko stopped brushing her hair in the small desk mirror. Her grip loosen making the brush dangle, almost dropping it. She slowly turned around looking at me with wide eyes. She suddenly stood up, pushing me to the wall with her hand on my forehead.

"Are you okay Momo?! Are you sick? Fever? Should I call Suzukawa-sensei? Quick, how many fingers am I holding up?" She waved three fingers in front of my face in a panic manner.

I gently removed her from my personal bubble. "Three and I'm fine. Why are you so concern? All I said was good morning."

"Well it's just that we've been roommates for more than a week now. You kept your apparent distance between us. I've even suggested that you call me by my first name when we met but you thought we should be professional. I was scared that you were hallucinating or incredibly sick that you forgot who you were. After seeing Hayate's performance yesterday, maybe you got wind of a heavily virus air. I'm not too familiar with taking care of the ill either. My older siblings always held themselves up to a higher state than me so I never got the chance to take care of others."

"As I said hitherto asseverate, my cerebral and corporeal state are currently unblemished." She stood there quietly.

"Are you sure you're okay? You're not making any sense. Hit the hair-o?" She took her seat on the chair.

"Hitherto, it means until now or until the point in time under discussion. In this case it means the topic of me being sick has been discussed. I was trying to say that I'm fine, once more. If it helps whenever Shouta-kun doesn't understand me he makes an x sign with his arms." I grabbed my blazer off the coat hanger throwing it over my shoulder. "We will be late for class if you take too long. Should I wait for you?"

"Nope, I finished." She set her brush down taking her blazer off the hanger she hung on her closet doors. She gestured for me to walk ahead. 'Strange. I didn't expect Wata- Fumiko to be so open to me. Still bizarre not calling her by her surname name though.' I recalled back to my conversation with Shouta last night. We both wanted to expand our fields in the idol world. Our key step was to befriend our new roommates. My strategy was to be the ideal roommate for her that eventually we would at least get along. This way we would be able to cooperate if needed.

"Wait Céasire-san I was-" I slid open the door to the classroom when we caught the Snapshot heading into the class next door. Behind him Shouta was trying hard to keep up to his speed walking without running. Shouta was cut off when Snapshot harshly closed the door to him. Shouta sighed dejectedly dragging his feet towards me. He instantly straighten seeing the two of us.

"Morning Shouta-kun. I take it that Snapshot is not responding to your advances in friendship?" He shook his head. Then looking between the two of us. "Oh right you guys haven't formally met. Shouta-kun meet Watanabe Fumiko. Fumiko this is Higawari Shouta-kun."

They bowed in sync so close that they nearly collided. "It's nice to meet you Shouta. I know we're in the same class but this is probably the only time we've actually talked isn't it? It's even weirder since you and Momo seem to be super close. The main topic everyone's been buzzing on is your auditions. I hope that know we can get along as well."

"Um- yeah. I-I hope so too, Watanabe-san." Fumiko puffed her cheeks crossing her arms above her chest.

"Wow you guys really are alike. So formal. It's fine if you call me Fumiko." He gave an awkward laugh.

"Then Fumiko-san?" She shook her head like a child at him continuing to be too formal. I raised my hand onto his shoulder to ease his nerves.

"How about we go inside? Dad won't be pleased if we end up blocking the entrance for too long." For a second I thought I saw Fumiko's eyes widen ever so slightly. She seemed to be in a daze, nodding and went into the classroom ahead of us. I shook it off as nothing because Shouta didn't make a comment. We both took our seats, Shouta more discouraged.

"Great. Now both of our roommates hate me." I placed my notebook and pencil case on to the table.

"They do not hate you. Fumiko is just more assertive and Snapshot is conscious about his work. He has been in the modelling field for his entire life. Idol work is new to him and our comments weren't exactly a confidence booster." He didn't look convinced at my words.

"You should have seen the way he was acting this morning when I tried to talk to him. I never had someone scowl so hard at me. He ignored me every time I tried to start a conversation and didn't even look my way. I'm really trying but it isn't working. Céasire-san and I are at a dead end. Meanwhile you and Fumiko-san are already talking on given name basis and walking to class together." I sniffled a laugh with my hand.

"Are you really at the end of your stick?" I propped my head up with my knuckle. "You're not the type to give up so easily. If that was the case you, the shyest person I've ever met, wouldn't be sitting in that seat right now. It's been a day. I remind you how much your body hurt at the beginning of training."

He grimaced at the memory tensing up at the shoulders. We made eye contact giving a nostalgic look. "We didn't get off on the right foot, did we? I kept running away from you that you had to go through all the work."

"Right. Sure becoming their friends is a good idea but it doesn't have to be our first step. One thing you need to learn from him is confidence. I think you could learn that on your own as well." Dad quieted the class as soon as the bell rang. Everyone gave dad their full attention with the daily roll call. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Shouta scribble something onto the corner of my notebook. I moved it closer to me once he finished to read the message.

'Alright then. I think I have something that could help.' I smiled at him trying hard not to look my way. I wrote a response, sliding the notebook at him. He peeked quickly then returned to the attendance. I saw his eyes glint with passion to continue on Snapshot.

"Watanabe-san, if you can face the front please." Dad said. The both of us, or really the entire class, drew their attention towards Fumiko. She flustered in standing up to bow. She apologized to dad who gave her a light warning. My eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. 'Fumiko isn't the type to mess around in class.'

* * *

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8." The dance teacher clapped to the beat while watching our form. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and pose." I crossed my right leg on top of my left leg then held my left elbow with my right hand, tilting my head slightly. I took in deep breaths hearing my classmates doing the same thing. The teacher clapped twice more as a sign that we could relax. Everyone chose to collapsed to the floor or had enough energy to walk to the side to grab their water bottles and towels. I opted for the latter. I grabbed my water bottle taking a quick swig, leaning my elbows against the ballet bar.

"Alright good work today everyone. You all seem to be getting the hang of the routine. Just make sure that you're watching specific points of weakness along with the tiny details. Understand?" The class said a yes in unison followed by a thank you for her words. I peered into the large mirrors as the teacher went around to the individual students giving them pointers on how to work on their dance. In the middle of the room I caught Fumiko still practicing the dance. I turned around to watch her fully. Her face was serious enough to block out any distracts as she carefully evaluated her movements.

'Ah she mis-stepped. Instead of stepping down on the second beat of 4, she's going to earlier. It's throwing everything else off.'

"I understand that you want to perfect it so soon but it's important to take a break every once in a while." The teacher approached Fumiko causing her to change her demeanor from serious to fun loving.

"Understood sensei! Just a little longer though. I can't seem to get a hang of the way my footing works and I want to make extra sure that I master this for my audition." The teacher appeared hesitant in leaving her be but in the end it was Fumiko's decision.

I watched her carefully as she didn't take a single break for another hour more of dancing. The entire class had already moved on with the rest of their day leaving us two alone. She finally decided to take a small rest after I had already assessed her problem. I handed her water bottle along with her towel to her. Fumiko seemed shocked for a second as if she forgot I was with her. She gratefully took the items. Chugging quickly she nearly finished the bottle. She wiped a bit of her sweat off then laid flat on her back.

"Thanks Momo. Really needed that." I looked at her stomach rising and falling at a deep, rapid pace. I slightly grimaced at her overworking herself.

"You're working really hard for this aren't you? This must be some audition." Fumiko tiredly reached for her Aikatsu phone in her pocket. She clicked a few buttons handing it to me. I scrolled through her signed up auditions while my brows getting tighter. I counted the amount matching the dates. There was 10 in total covering the next 2 weeks. Even though none of them overlapped it still meant nearly one every day.

"I wanted to enter the scene in a big way. I read the audition's board and I couldn't decide which one was best. So I entered all of them." She flashed a proud smile despite her exhausted body.

I opened my mouth to chide her poor choices in both training and in her indecisiveness. I quickly closed it in memory of Snapshot's tantrum yesterday. If I was going to get closer with Fumiko then I would need be on her better side first. Telling her that her decision is acting reckless was going to anger her like Snapshot did. I was thinking of each possible outcome that could happen while examining which situation was the best.

"Hey Momo is it true that you and Shouta trained for a month before getting your acceptances?" I snapped out of my thoughts giving a nod in return. "Great! Would it be possible for maybe us to work together? It's amazing how much you two resemble real idols. I couldn't believe that you guys only had a month! I think that if you work with me, hopefully I can gain some experience as well."

Fumiko looked at me with pleading eyes. Balancing out the pros and cons I didn't find a problem if we worked together. We would not only bond faster but gain skills at the same time.

"I don't see why not." I read through her phone's schedule plan. Holding back a groan, I felt myself develop a migraine in thinking of a plan. Her earliest audition was in five days.

"Something the matter?"

"Nothing."

* * *

I rubbed my temples in an attempt to soothe my throbbing brain. I couldn't decipher if it was because it was late in the night or because I had so much to plan, yet I could say with confidence that I wanted to sleep. Sitting at my desk, I had wanted to create a spreadsheet for Fumiko's auditions and training but everything was too sporadic. The auditions ranged from modeling to singing to variety shows. For her to work on all of these talents, she would need practice an extrusive amount.

"Hey what are you doing?" I jumped backwards into my chair's back far enough for me to tip myself over. Fumiko stumbled in helping the chair out from under me then putting me on.

"Woah didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay? Shouldn't you be asleep? It's nearly one in the morning. I think the lack of sleep can affect you." I shook my head, fixing myself into a re-comfortable position on my chair.

"I've had many sleepless nights from studying. Nothing to worry over." I inspected my extremities for any sign of injury. Fortunately I seemed fine. "You startled me that's it. I was actually figuring out your timetable." Fumiko hovered around my shoulder. The sheet, though filled with many, many, many events was organized in my own manner. She made no sound.

"I um I didn't expect you to go through so much effort for me. I was just expecting you to train with me. Thank you." She pushed herself to her side of the room.

"It's no problem. I don't have any auditions of my own so what better way to-what are you doing?" Turning around in my chair I saw Fumiko doing some light stretches on her yoga mat.

"Exercising. I read that doing it after taking a shower can open pores and relax the muscles." I bit my lip to correct her.

"Well that is true." 'But exercising before bed, which you were going to do, is not as beneficial. Your body is going to overheat making it harder to sleep. Not to mention the sweat and heat building up in the mattress. Finally your body is creating energy that if you try to sleep you'll only end up keeping yourself awake with energy. With your schedule you need to rest. Not drain your body.'

She continued to stretch occasionally glancing at me. After a while she took the seat next to me, shuffling closer. "Momo, why do you want to be an idol? I mean I watched your audition video but I still wonder what drives you. Is it Shouta, the fact that you are having fun, being the Star couple's daughter? You're so studious it's hard to believe that you suddenly wanted to be an idol."

"It's everything you stated, actually. I might not look like it but I always did want to be an idol. Shouta-kun was the one that relived that dream for me." I clicked my pen once to retract the tip. "It's getting late. We both should sleep in early."

"Good idea." She took a few sips of water then flopped backwards into bed. Rubbing my eyes a little I reached for the lamp light. I glanced at the spread sheet, shutting off the light.

* * *

Day 1.

"Aikatsu! Aikatsu! Aikatsu!" Fumiko kept running next to me chanting the usual mantra.

"Louder! Use the air from your diaphragm. Even with your mic, you must be able to properly enunciate. Make sure your voice reaches even those on the far end without faltering in energy." She pushed herself to run faster.

"Okay! AIKATSU! AIKATSU! AIKATSU!"

"Smile! Smile!" She bared her teeth in a forceful grin, nothing natural.

Day 3.

Fumiko fumbled in balancing on the flipped bosu ball. Getting close to the edge she jumped onto the next ball. Fumiko tipped the ball almost falling off but steadied herself backwards. I cupped my mouth taking a deep breath in.

"WAHHHH!" Taken by surprise at my scream, she roughly fell onto her butt. I stood over her. She gave me a nervous smile while giving a hand up. "Always be prepared during these types of events. You have a one out of four chances of a ball or wind being applied to knock contestants off their feet. You were too slow as well. Keep in mind that shows have time limits."

Day 4.

"I-it's d-delicious." Fumiko gave a shaky thumbs up while her face turned purple. Her cheeks were filled with burnt rice that she didn't dare swallow.

"No good. For a proper cooking show guest you have to be prepared for any foods you may dislike. It's not often that chefs make something bad but not everything is in your preferences. You can be honest HOWEVER you cannot make such a face." She dropped her head in shame.

* * *

"I can't figure it dad out. I've complied everything into a practical manner to process to the full extent. She's improved, yes, yet nothing is working. At this rate she might as well not go to any of them." I sat in the teacher's office with dad eating dinner from the cafeteria. Normally I would have eaten with Shouta but he's been crazy busy. I've barely seen him this whole week.

"Well not everyone can retain information as fast as you."

"I follow that part. What I can't fathom is why would someone fully understand their own personal capabilities and continue in pushing themselves to this point. She was completely unaware of how dire her situation was that I couldn't believe it."

 _Sakura hirahira maiorite ochite_ -My Aikatsu phone started to ring cutting him off. I raised a hand sorry to him before picking it up.

"Ah Momo-san. Am I interrupting anything?" I used a napkin to wipe my mouth of some food.

"No you're fine Shouta-kun. I was just talking to dad regarding my situation with Fumiko. Is everything okay?" I watched dad continue his work sneaking in a bite from my plate since mom only made him a lunch box. "A favor? That's a rare request from you." I took my eyes off of him to give Shouta my full attention. Listening to his story I thought of a possible solution.

"Higawari Shouta!" I winced at a woman's voice yelling in the background holding the phone at a distance. Shouta nervously replied to the woman making her reply louder. The long tone dial made me realize that he suddenly cut off the call. I stared at my phone for a while wondering what happen.

"What was that?" I turned back to dad.

"I honestly have no idea. I'll just send him a message." I sat there for a few seconds texting Shouta my suggestion. I jumped a little when dad lightly tapped me with his pen.

"Your forehead is wrinkling. You're thinking too much." I brought my hand to feel the non-existent bumps. "The reason why you and Watanabe-san are not getting along is because you're in different mindsets. Focus less on getting her to pass and more on her progress as an idol."

My hand felt the wrinkles appear after his statement. I have to admit that most of the training sessions did mostly consist of me stuffing information into her. Fumiko, the girl that was the dictionary's prime example of talkative, barely spoke with me. My dad poked me once more giving me an encouraging smile. He returned to his work leaving me to silently eat my dinner.

"Momo-chan why aren't you eating dinner in the cafeteria? Is everything okay here?" Aunty Aoi came up to the two of us with her own Nandemo bento.

"Yes it's all fine. I'm more comfortable here, that's all. Dad's not that much of a talker but has been a great company in placement of Shouta-kun." Aunty Aoi pulled a chair up next to us setting her box down on the table. Dad shuffled a little to the side to let her fit in.

"You know Momo-chan you should try socializing with the other students. It's important to connect with others. Not just us adults and Higawari-kun. Aikatsu is all about exploring everything there is."

"I know. People like Watanabe Fumiko, right?" Aunty Aoi seemed surprised.

"Right. You and Watanabe would make for an interesting combo. You being roommates gives you the advantage in getting close to her."

"Well then your plan is not really working. I've been hanging out with Fumiko the whole week and I don't see what she has to teach me. I haven't gotten that much closer to anyone else, not even her herself. In fact I feel that my efforts are wasted on her throwing herself into the wind for the sake of making 'a big entrance.'" I put in air quotes to rephrase what Fumiko had told me.

"Plan? What plan?"

"Your plan for the students to work on their weaknesses by pairing up compatible personalities. Not only me but Shouta-kun and Snapshot as well. I know that you wanted each student to grow to the best of their abilities that you paired up people for that exact reason." Dad and Aunty Aoi exchanged looks of confusion.

"Momo-chan, you're thinking too much. It's true that I want my students to grow but your roommates were decided on random. Besides those with preferences, no one was assigned their spot with a particular reason." She reached out to my hand. "I understand that you want to beat the best. Your goal is admirable. But don't try so hard. Your Aikatsu is just starting so what's the rush? Naturally form friendships your own way not by me 'playing matchmaker.'" She copied my air quotes laughing a bit at me. In the background of her, dad was using his pen to point at his forehead. I went silent as he smiled smugly making feel a tad embarrassed.

* * *

Day 5.

"Oh I know this one! Um 'Everything's better with our food.'" Fumiko sat across from me having a note pad in front of her. I was trying to teach her each company's slogan for her to become the representative since it was easier than teaching her the entire history behind each market.

"No. Their slogan is 'Things go better with our food.' Try the Purely Blissful Spa's slogan." I underlined another name from her list. I rested my head on my hand in an idle manner. Tomorrow her auditions were starting but I couldn't stop at one placement, no matter the time limit.

"'Make never yours, with our care and rejuvenate beyond compare.'" She answered confidently, reciting it similar to the commercial. I was dumbfound at her sudden intelligence. Out of the 12 questions I've asked her so far, this was the one of the five she got correctly. Yet this was the sole one that she stated resembling a professional. No hesitation nor tongue twisting. It caught me completely off guard almost reminding myself that there was a reason that she was able to pass the entrance testing for Starlight Academy.

"That's right. Are you familiar with the brand?" I shuffled through my sheets for the information regarding Purely Blissful Spa. If I remembered correctly then the place should be close to her area. They were a well-established organization that provided what any spa would. Fumiko was auditioning to be the spokesperson for their new commercial. Alternatively being a gate way to be a full time representative. Normally starting first years avoided such a commitment so that they could fully explore their options. It also meant to develop what their different images would revolve around.

"Not really. My eldest sister would often convince my parents to take me and my other sister to go eat out. In reality the two of them would go to the Purely Blissful. They would always take me out to ice cream later too so it didn't bother me too much. They were super relaxed after each session which was a bonus. I mostly fell asleep in the lobby waiting for them to finish." I followed her story imagining a younger version of her going along with her siblings' story then hanging out with ice cream. It made me laugh a little in thought.

"What's it like to have siblings?" Now it was her turn to by caught off guard. The tension in her shoulders dropped making me see how seriously she was studying with me.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm an only child. I have my younger twin cousins but they're barely a year old. Can't even say their dad's name yet. Mom likes to treat Uncle Raichi like a little kid at times, that makes them on the same wavelength. Aunt Tiara the same with dad but dad isn't afraid to scold her either. Then there's Shouta-kun who looks up to his brother as the reason he loves music. I was wondering what your perspective on the topic was. You seem to think highly of them." I remembered to each Christmas dinners where our families gathered. I loved laughing at the stories everyone told about their siblings. They showed sides of them I barely see on a daily basis.

"Well it's defiantly had its ups and downs. I'm the youngest of five for one thing. An eldest sister, two brothers, then another sister and me." She clutched her fist, souring her face. "It's a real drag! They never let me have to tv to myself and I have to wear their hammy downs. Even Kyo-nii's ripped, extra-large sized superhero t-shirts! Rin-nee didn't even mention the first time going to Purely Blissful that we were going there. I thought that the Sakura lotion was strawberry cream that I tried to eat some! That's the single reason that they bring me the ice cream place later."

She settled down looking peacefully at the desk in front of her. "Yet there's times they would act totally off. Whenever I or my parents were sick they would take care of me. There's this memory of me in a play in kindergarten that I won't forget. I had one line as a villager. Standing in front of all those parents made me forget the one simple line. Instead of saying 'We want to protect our village' I said 'Protect our village we want is'. My other classmates didn't move on with the story since they got lost. Then in the crowd my siblings started cheering me on. They knew that I messed up but still screamed the loudest. I guess you can say after that I wasn't afraid of performing. They were there to scream my name out if I needed it." She stared at the sheets in my hand. "When I heard that Purely Blissful was looking for a spokesperson, I thought that hey maybe Rin-nee and Kagura-nee could see me whenever they go. Listen to me, it sounds like I'm trying to brag about to them."

I waved it off. I enjoyed seeing people similar to her. Talking about their passions, sides of them that show their true character. Fumiko was a child that was born and raised by the love of her family and friends. She grew up to be so spirited due to reassurances that people would remain with her. She was an idol that could provide the same to others. Similar to how she can make a shy classmate on orientation day of school speak up for her introduction.

"That's a nice story. I think you'll ace the interview portion with that." I placed an asterisk on the paper.

"Can I say one more thing?" I gestured for her to speak. "Is there a reason you don't want to talk to me? Do you not want to be friends with me?"

I looked up from my papers to her. This entire week I've been trying to befriend her. "I don't understand."

"For the past week we've been barely talking. It's merely you criticizing me. I really wanted to become closer with you but every time we talk something personal, you always change the subject. Then there's moments where you and Shouta trade notes during class." I placed the sheets down, running my hand through my hair.

'That's why she wasn't paying attention that time. And why she asked me to help her. Not to mention her asking why I wanted to be an idol.' Dad and Aunty Aoi's words resounded in my mind. I dropped my head. "That's not it. I guess I haven't told you much on myself."

Fumiko used her two fingers to push the corners of her mouth upwards. "Idols are supposed to smile. Isn't that one of the lessons you taught me?" There is was. Her talent of bringing people out.

"Right. The truth is that Shouta-kun is my first real friend. I didn't want to talk to people who compared to my parents that I eventually was separated from them. I haven't fully grasped the idea of how I should act. I tried to show Snapshot what his faults were, he started to push Shouta-kun away. I assumed that you would be the same. That's why I hold back some things that I mean to tell you. I'm guessing that I was trying too hard?"

"Yes! Entirely! But I get it." She sighed. Side stepping out of the table, she stood in front of me with no obstacles in our path. "It seems we both misunderstood each other in a way. Can we start from the top?"

I stood up to match her. "I'd appreciate that. Then can we talk about your audition choices?"

* * *

After putting our differences aside Fumiko and I decided on rejecting her other auditions to focus on the most important one. We got scolded by the producers for canceling last minute, calling us unprofessional. I had to explain in thorough detail why she couldn't make it. They understood that she had too much on her plate for a first year that they let us off with a simple warning. According to Aunty Aoi we were left off easy and we should understand the impact of our actions in the future. As our schedule will certainly be busier we had to get better at time managing ourselves without quitting before starting. Instead we targeted at the only audition that actually mattered to her. The Purely Blissful representative spot. Five extra days to solely practice and Fumiko was finally getting the hang of things.

I clapped modestly for the previous contestant. As a second year student she had a better chance at getting the spot above the nervous ones. The main reason first years didn't try was, not because it's a branded name but because the overall process was a different procedure. Purely Blissful was looking for someone creative and free that they made it song and dance choice open ended. It was the hardest of her choices but the one she would work hardest for.

"Please welcome Starlight's Watanbe Fumiko onto the stage." People clapped for Fumiko as she stepped on to the stage in her **Scarlet Torte Coord**. Soft jazz music filled the auditorium letting me know that she was ready to start. She took a few steps circling the stage, returning to the center making a final swirl. Her long orange hair circled around giving her the impression of a fake aura.

 _Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday_ Fumiko used her right hand to point on the beat of each day drawing out a z like shape. She jutted her head to the side empathizing the Thursday.

 _Warui koto juuko ii koto ikko_

 _Shouritsu warume nanka tsuitenai na_

 _Kedo yatto ato ichinichi_

 _Ukareta kimochi de sugosu Friday_ She held her cheeks happily in thought jumping side to side.

 _Konshuumatsu wa nani wo shiyou ka_ She pretended to stroke her chin in thought catching the audience's gaze, she laughed a little.

 _Saikin mitenai shi_

 _Eiga toka mo ii na_ She placed her hand above her head walking around as if she was looking for something.

 _Itsumo yori chotto_

 _Kawaii kakkou shite_ Fumiko pulled a little on her sleeve staring at it.

 _Omottetara kyuu ni ashita ga_ She quickly let go, acting like she gasped. _machidooshiku naru_

 _Sonna five in the evening_ With a large grin plastered on her face she held up her five fingers to the audience, winking at them.

 _Feel so good_

 _Heto heto ni naru made kyou mo ganbatta shi_ She stretched her arms upwards giving a small yawn.

 _Saa kaerou_ She walked to the tail of the stage 'to walk home.'

 _gohoubi ni amai mono demo kattecchaou kana?_ She tilted her head side to side, finishing with her posture resembling in thought.

This was the perfect song for the combination of Fumiko and Purely Blissful. A song that has a message of finally relaxing after a long week with the underlying happiness that everyone had during the period. The songs the other contestants had chosen were too slow pace for Fumiko to show off her charms. Ballads did match the spa for the most part. Something that Fumiko couldn't fully master in time. That's why _Feel so Good_ allowed her to bubble up her energy while keeping the same mood the others did.

A few more people performed after her until the manager of the association stood up on the stage in front of the gathered auditionees. "I thank everyone that had come out today. Everyone has been amazing and has the potential to do anything once they put their minds to it. That's why today's winner is someone that I am confident in showcasing what our spa is really about. As for this year, our new representative is..." A drum roll for dramatic effect. "Dream Academy's Sawada Natsuki!"

I saw Fumiko force another smile on her face, clapping to reward the winner. Once the commotion calmed down, the audience died out of the way. I stood outside while the sun starting to set waiting for the Starlight bus to come pick the two of us up. I read the messages Shouta sent regarding his stressful day. 'At least both of us solved our roommate dilemma.' My eyes were covered while a sudden wait was thrown on my back. "Guess who!"

"Is this meant to be a trick question?" I pried her hands off my eyes, her arms still draped around my shoulders from behind.

"No it's supposed to be a prank." I nodded taking in the information. Fumiko was confusing at times but was more lenient in explaining her many jokes.

"You seem a lot happier compared to a few minutes ago. Did something happen?" She jumped off me, spinning in front of me. She grabbed my hands, having her face red from the excitement.

"Listen to this. The manager of Purely Blissful praised me for my performance. She said that it was one of the best shows from a first year she's seen in a while. She said that with a bit more experience I could have stood a chance. That and I've never actually been inside the Purely Blissful spa." She said mumbling the last part sheepishly. That part should have been an obvious point in wanting to represent them.

"Then then then- look at this!" She showed me her Aikatsu phone. On the top bar showed in to be a group chat for her and her siblings. There were screen shots of her performance along with messages of them joking around. The latest picture being of her from her kindergarten play. She pulled the phone away. "Ah ignore that last one. Mou Hiro-nii is always looking to make me look weird."

"Good job." I petted her head like I usually did with Shouta. She placed her hands on her hips holding her chin high. We returned to Starlight Academy with enough time for dinner. Fumiko and I went straight to the cafeteria finding that Shouta and Snapshot were doing the same thing.

"Hey, how was the audition today?" Shouta asked while we waited in line.

"I didn't win but there's always next time. Especially with my new best friend. Isn't that right Momo?" She slung her arm around my shoulder pulling me closer. I unhooked her grabbing a tray off the counter.

"I expect nothing less from Momo-chan. She is the one to mold Dobu-kun into the boy he is right now." Snapshot took a tray for himself and Fumiko. "I'm Céasire Hayate by the way. It's always nice to meet another pretty face."

"Watanabe Fumiko. Nice to meet you, Hayate." She wasn't faze by his charms taking the tray out of his hands.

We settled down at a table together. I watched around me seeing that we happily chatted on ourselves without any problems. I peeked at dad monitoring the students as we ate. He nodded at me with a proud look in his eyes. To think that a few days ago I was eating with him in the teacher's lounge. I waved at him feeling a natural smile on my lips.

"So Shouta-kun, how was working with Snapshot?"

* * *

Thank you to every follow, favorite, reviewer and reader. Sorry for the wait but I've been busying preparing for University but I hope that I can still continue to write with my spare time.

Elcall: Thank you for your constant support. Hopefully Fumiko is in a better light after this chapter since I wanted to display it in Momo's perspective. Now that they are on better terms she should have times where she can be pushy but they still understand one another.

JazzyWCitty: Thanks for such nice words. Honestly Naoto is hard to write for but I want to keep them in character. I'm also bad at creating OC (Original characters) so when you said that it doesn't feel like fanfic, that really touched me.

SOMETHING NEW! Elcall brought up a thing comment in their latest review. I actually put a lot of thought into naming, planning how the story develops and little random things going into what I write. So at the end of each chapter I want to put a small piece of trivia just for fun.

Trivia: Each member (minus the dad) of Ichigo's family goes by a fruit name. Ichigo= strawberry, Ringo= Apple, and Raichi= Lychee. So I followed that tradition and so Momo means Peach in English. Kind of an obvious trivia but let's start basic.


	7. Errand Boy

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED

Shouta's POV

I rolled over on my bed. Squinting my eyes open I read the illuminated numbers on my alarm clock. 6:05 Am. After a month's worth of training with Momo it seems that my body adjusted to waking up around this time. I sat up, stretching out my arms. A yawn escaped my mouth as I moved to the edge of my bed.

I looked around the shared room I was going to live in for the rest of the year. My side of the room was quite plain. On the desk was a portrait of my family with a few notebooks and pens nearby. One of the books being my song book. My brown acoustic guitar at the foot of my bed closest to the door. The only other thing to note was my uniform that hung off the closet door. On the other side of the room was my, already gone, roommate's busier lifestyle. The wall next to his bed had a cork board with many pinnings attached. Little snippets of magazine print outs and drawings of clothing designs pinned out. Next to them were handwritten notes telling what he thought of them. Then was the paper calendar that had many dates to keep in mind. Even the desk filled with fan letters and gifts had its own form of organization. Yet he still had enough space for his own portrait of his family standing in front of the Eiffel tower and a small handstand mirror.

'Céasire-san has a much more livery life than I.' I gave a sigh looking at his calendar. Yesterday's date had multiple circles around the words DEBUT DAY. Yesterday, Momo and I went to Ceasire's idol debut concert. The problem was that Ceasire was still new to the idol business that the two of us had a few unwelcoming points to say.

I went on a light jog before class seeing a few other students already doing the same. After taking a lap or two and quick breakfast, I went back to my room to change out of my tracksuit and into my uniform. Catching myself in Ceasire's desk mirror I saw that I still had bedhead despite the tine passed. I threw on my bag over my shoulder, shrugging at my hair. I opened the door to find Céasire directly in front of me. I held my scream back, placing my hand on my chest. He maneuvered around me stepping into our room.

"Sorry about that Dobu-kun. I just forgot my agenda." He pulled out the drawer to his desk taking out his agenda to put in his bag. "Heading to class? I'll come too."

Céasire walked ahead of me while I locked the door making me speedily walk to catch up to him. We didn't speak much as we walked but more towards the many other students that waved him a good morning. I racked my brain trying to find a way to start a conversation.

"So um where did you go this morning? You were already gone by the time I woke up."

"Called Rika-chan about a mishap in re-scheduling events that ended up overlapping. Thought I shouldn't wake you so I took it to breakfast. Wouldn't want you bags to have bags again. That was an awful sight." I remembered back to when he kept talking the first day we were together. "Speaking of awful sights."

He pivoted on his heel to stand in front of me. Digging though his bag his brought out a small comb. He pushed and combed my hair in different directions then took a step back. He nodded, placed his comb back in his bag and turned on the front camera of his Aikatsu phone. Handing it over to me I found that he had fixed my hair to it's normal state. "If you wanted to change your appearance to disheveled late boy then loosen up your uniform. But like I said before, a small animal fits you better."

"Oh thanks. As expected of a model. Things must be busy for you after yesterday's show." Céasire's posture seem to tighten as I handed back his phone. He started to pick up in speed, eyes closing in on his classroom doors. I mentally slapped myself into realization that I shouldn't have said that.

"Wait Céasire-san I was-" I stopped talking when he roughly opened and closed the door behind him. I grudgingly dragged my body over to my classroom with a sigh. I looked up for a second seeing Momo and her new roommate looking my way. I felt embarrassed that they caught me in such a manner that I straighten myself out.

"Morning Shouta-kun. I take it that Snapshot is not responding to your advances in friendship?" I shook my head having a good understanding of their relationship. "Oh right you guys haven't formally met. Shouta-kun this is Watanabe Fumiko. Fumiko this is Higawari Shouta-kun."

We both bowed at the same time. "It's nice to meet you Shouta. I know we're in the same class and all but this is the first time we've actually talked isn't it? It's even weirder since you and Momo seem to be super close. The main topic everyone's been buzzing on is your auditions. I hope that know we can get along just as well."

"Um- yeah. I-I hope so too, Watanabe-san." Fumiko puffed up her cheeks crossing her arms over her chest.

"Wow you guys really are alike. So formal. It's fine if you just call me Fumiko." I gave an awkward laugh not really knowing how to respond.

"Then Fumiko-san?" She shook her head disapprovingly. I coward a bit at her our conversation not making her happy like I wanted. Momo raised her hand grabbing our attentions off each other.

"How about we go inside? Dad won't be pleased if we end up blocking the entrance for too long." Fumiko nodded willingly heading into class first. I gave her thanks silently for getting me out of that before it became a mess. I followed Momo in taking our seats. I plopped myself into the chair.

"Great now both of our roommates hate me." Momo calmly took out her school supplies onto the table not batting an eye at my usual depressing blurb.

"They do not hate you. Fumiko is just more assertive and Snapshot is conscious about his work. He has been in the modelling field for his entire life. Idol work is still new and our comments weren't exactly a confidence booster." Somehow her words didn't soothe me in any way. I sighed thinking how Céasire completely ignored me a few moments ago.

"You should have seen the way he was acting this morning when I tried to talk to him. I never had someone scowl so hard at me. He ignored me every time I tried to start a conversation and didn't even look my way. I'm really trying but it isn't working. Céasire-san and I are at a dead end. Meanwhile you and Fumiko-san are on first name basis and walking to class together." She covered her mouth to hold back a small laugh.

"Are you really at the end of your stick?" She moved to hold her head up with her knuckle. "You're not the type to give up so easily. If that was the case you, the shyest person I've ever met, wouldn't be sitting in that seat right now. It's only been one day. I remind you how much your body hurt at the beginning of our training."

My body felt weak just thinking about the amount of heat packs I was drowning under. We made eye contact giving a nostalgic look. Momo was the first one to reach out to me. "We didn't get off on the right foot, did we? I kept running away from you that you had to go through all the work."

"Right. Sure becoming their friends is a good idea but it doesn't have to be our first step. One thing you need to learn from him is confidence. I think you could learn that on your own as well." Mr. Suzukawa walked into the class, bringing the chatter down. Everyone gave him their full attention with the daily role call. I thought about Momo's words finding the resolve in me. Taking a pencil I scribbled a message onto her notebook. Without drawing much attention she read the note and wrote one back.

'I look forward to both of our outcomes.' I blushed at Momo's words thinking that she was encouraging me in her formal, unique way.

"Watanabe-san, if you can face the front please." Mr. Suzukawa said. Not wanting to be his next call out I tried my best to focus on the lesson. My mind still managed to create a working progress on how to win Céasire over.

* * *

Immediately after classes were over, I walked quickly towards the other classroom. A few students casted me some glances making me nervous. According to Momo and Fumiko, our auditions were really attention drawing. Since I stuck to Momo for the most part, I never noticed how much people paid attention to me. I avoided eye contact as much as I could, waiting for Céasire to come out.

"You!" I flinched at the commanding female voice. Similar to Momo's in attitude yet completely opposite in tone. Where Momo was still in her teenage higher pitched, this one was more adult like by the sounds of it. I looked up from everyone's feet towards Rika making her way over to me with her heels clicking. "What are you doing here?"

"Um well I was just um I wanted to ask-talk-speak with Céasire-san about yesterday." I leaned backwards as her face came closer to mine.

"You have no right to be here. You're a nuisance to Hayate-kun's progress. As his manager I forbid you from doing any unnecessary social contact." I stumbled with forming my words. I couldn't argue with her logic as she knew what was best for Céasire.

"Rika-chan? Dobu-kun?" Céasire popped out of the door. That's when I noticed that everyone had their eyes drawn on our conversation. "Everything okay out here? I heard some yelling."

Rika straighten out her business suit, looking like she didn't just verbally insult me. "Everything is fine, Hayate-kun. It's about your meeting with City Lights' top designer. I was able to reschedule it for today. Unfortunately we have to leave in the next seven minutes if we want to be punctual."

"Oh sure." He turned his head back into the classroom towards another group of boys. "Hey guys, go to dance practice without me. Something came up."

The boys understandingly told him to run to his business while they packed up their stuff. "What about you Dobu-kun? What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry." I bowed a full 90 degrees keeping my arms firmly by my side. Céasire and Rika remained quiet. "I was rude to you yesterday. Both of you. Speaking from personal experience it can be scary when some random person points out your mistakes. I'm sorry." I heard a sigh.

"Raise your head. You're drawing attention." I raised my head slowly. I avoided Rika's glare to focus on Ceasire only. "Dobu-kun, you're still new to the entertainment business, right?"

"O-only a month of Momo-san's teachings, i-if that's what you're asking." He nodded very slowly then smiled innocently.

"Then make it up to me." I blinked. "In our industry sorry is a very lazy way to get out of your mistakes. To make up for your actions you have to do something big. Something that shows you really mean your apology. Actions speak louder than words, they say." I blinked again. I didn't understand what he was implying. Even Rika was having trouble processing the statement. "Rika-chan is up to her neck in working out everything. So why don't you work as her assistant for- hmm... a week?"

"What? Hayate-kun!" Céasire pulled Rika close. They argued in their little huddle making me awkwardly stand as witness. Rika seemed troubled at his situation, mumbling about her not needing me. Then was Céasire would tried to persuade her with puppy eyes and some other things I couldn't hear properly. He grabbed Rika's hands pleading with cherries on top. She sighed, dropping her head. They released each other, Céasire smiled happily with a reluctant Rika.

"Alright then. Higawari Shouta for this week, starting now you are going to be mine slash Hayate-kun's assistant. This way you can learn more of the Idol's industry and make it up to the two of us." She came closer poking me in the chest. "I'm only doing this because it's Hayate-kun's wish. Not for you."

"T-though I appreciate the opportunity, I don't think I can handle that level of responsibility. I mean I don't want to hinder anything. I wouldn't want to get in your way either." Céasire crossed his arms over his chest, pouting a little.

"Then I'm not going to talk to you." I was dumbfounded. One second he was this cool, French gentleman that man everyone swoon. The next, he was cute like a child. Now that I think about it Céasire was like this during his concert when Momo said that he acted on his own planning. It was like he just wanted to enjoy his time. Someone that is driven by their passion to continue forward. I held his hands shaking them.

"I'll do it!" In a way Céasire really was similar to me.

"Wow Dobu-kun! You're really fired up. I'm counting on you then." He smiled his princely way. I released his hands waving them around.

"Ah well I was just-um - inspired by your persistence. So I'm going to -do- try my best." He laughed at me giving a light slap on the back.

* * *

"Okay I'll go through this again." Rika started. This was the fifth time she explained it to me in an attempt to drill it into my mind. "You will not speak to anyone. You will not do anything distracting. You are here as a guest for Hayate-kun so you better not embarrass him in anyway. Are we clear?"

I nodded in fear of her. She pulled up into the parking lot of a building. There were photographers and squealing fangirls lined up in rows near the entrance. I awkwardly held my bag tightly as Rika went around the car to open the door for him. Céasire gave me a thumbs up before stepping out. I sat there for a little while watching the way he walked. It was natural for him to be surrounded by people that it didn't faze him what to do. He even knew where each fan's camera was pointing towards to give a perfect shot of him.

Rika slammed the door without letting me step out. That snapped me out of my trance to come out. I caught up to Rika walking a short distance behind Céasire. He gave a final wink when the building doors closed behind us. I stood in awe of the amount of workers running around. Some carrying papers to one place to another while others were just rushing about. The secretary at the desk finished her phone call as she noticed us. We walked over giving her a bit of time to fix the mess spread out on her table.

"I apologize about the mess. Things have been in a sporadic all day. We've been able to fix you in though so that's a bit of a relief. I'll escort you up now if you don't mind." She picked up a binder gesturing for us to follow her. She led us towards large glass doors on the top floor. The room was spacious but poorly lit. Black curtains with tiny dots of light poking out covered the windows resembling stars shine through. The only other source of light was from the ceiling light that was dimmed. The secretary moved over to push open the curtains as we took a seat on by the long table to the right near the head. The order being Céasire, Rika lastly me.

"I guess we're early?" Céasire asked while taking out his Aikatsu phone. Rika nodded at him sneaking a glance at her watch.

"About five more minutes." She replied. The secretary bowed to us before taking her leave.

"Ah yeah I should probably explain it to you Dobu-kun. City Lights' top designer is pretty laid back but he gets submerged by his work often that he blocks out everything around him. The only thing that brings him back is when his alarm rings telling him that his next appointment is starting. We're going to have to wait a little since he's usually late."

We sat quietly doing our own things. Rika was flipping through papers stopping to read them every once in a while. Céasire was scrolling through his Kirakiratter feed giving a laugh at a video or two. I, on the other hand, sat here doing nothing. The tension seemed to only be on me as the other two were use to this. Me, I had no idea what I could and couldn't do. Rika made it very clear that I had to watch my movements. I considered going on my newly made Kirakiratter or plugging in some headphones but the ideas made me nervous since the top designer may see me as rude. So I sat there for what seemed like hours but was actually five minutes of nervous conteplating.

A man rushed to the door, straightening his clothes before walking in. The man seemed out of breath. "Sorry, I was trying to work on the arrangement for each model. Then I was trying to match the stage to the theme. I got caught up. Hopefully I'm not messing with anyone's time."

"Please don't mind too much. Knowing Rika-chan, she considers every possible situation." She nodded in agreence. "See no problem whatsoever."

The man released his breath in relief. That's when it hit me that he was the top designer of City Lights. In a hurried manner I bowed to him. His interest was peaked at me that he approached me with wandering eyes. He circled around me nodding along.

"You must be Higawari Shouta-san. How can I help you today?" I shot back up. He pulled himself a chair at the head of the table. Relaxing back into the chair he skimmed through the binder that the secretary left on the table.

"Um I'm- was actually-" I was cut off when Rika raised her hand in front of me.

"Please don't mind him. He's only here to observe." Mr. Top designer looked between the two of us then to Céasire. He shrugged his shoulders in response making me wonder if Rika and I had something on our faces. It seemed that people kept giving us weird glances today.

"Alright?" Top designer said dragging the word out. There was a knock on the door. The secretary lady was back with a few people gathered around her. After receiving confirmation from the Top Designer, she allowed the following people to take a seat into the room. Céasire poked my shoulder telling me to sit down. I pulled my chair closer taking my chair in closer to sit on. Each person took a seat settling in quite fast. The top designer stood up clearing his throat first.

"Now that everyone's here, shall we get started? As you all know we are here to discuss our soon to be, first fashion show. So why don't we go around to introduce ourselves?" Céasire and Rika stood up, me following their lead. He bowed first.

"Céasire Hayate, male muse of City Lights. I've had my fair share of fashions shows but this will be the first one that I would be assisting in planning. Hopefully I can live up to the expectations that you guys have for me." He bowed once more holding his hands in front of him. Rika bowed after he finished.

"And I'm his manager Rika. We are eager to work with all of you. Please treat us well." She then jutted her head at me. I took her signal and bowed.

"I'm H-higawari Shouta, first year Starlight student. I'm here to help Céasire-san for the week." I kept my introduction short to keep myself from rambling on for too long. This meeting was filled with business suited people that I couldn't bother them too much. I pulled my chair back taking my seat again.

"Wow, Kiriya-san is really upping the stakes this year. They do say that the best way to learn is from your peers." I knew that name to be Headmaster Aoi. He even alluded to Momo's idea of putting us together to make us better idols making me further understand Momo's theory even better. Céasire raised his hand before speaking.

"Well you got that wrong. Dobu-kun is actually my roommate and my trusty little helper for the week. Headmistress Aoi didn't put him up to this. It was our decision for him to come along with me as a mean of compensating for his mistakes."

"Compensating for his mistakes?" The same businessman spoke up again slightly looking around the room for confirmation.

"Nothing too big. Dobu-kun seems to be a bit blunter than I expected. The same goes for his best friend. He felt bad about over speaking that he wanted to make it up to me. We made a deal and so here he is." I read deeper into his words understanding that he didn't say anything specific. He didn't mention Momo's name knowing that he was in no position to mention her name without permission. He didn't even say what I said to hurt his feelings nor anything about our deal. And it was enough for the rest of the room. They accepted his words missing any need to question from further. Even though he was a rookie like me, he had the honour of sitting next to the top designer and had the room in his full control.

Though that could be said about the other people in the room as well. They went around introducing their names, titles and jobs. From venue owners to apprentice designers everyone played an important role in planning out the event. I felt out of place not being able to input any information. I tried to listen to there comments but everything was coming so fast that I couldn't keep up. It was different than school material. In school I could study everything before and after the lessons. This was more teamwork based, open box typed meeting where basically anything could happen. I didn't have anything to add even if I could say it.

* * *

I stumbled with the stack of papers that was somewhat supported by my chin on top. I struggled in putting down the stack on the table releasing my breath once they were safe. My hands carefully slipped out from the bottom trying not to crumple the sheets. I gave a small push forward to stack moving it to the center. That being finalized I took out my Aikatsu phone checking off another thing on my list. So far all I've been doing these past three days is running errands for Rika. That ranged from me running around the building to fetch something or carrying items while following her like a dog. I'm pretty sure that once this week is over my arms would fall off from exhaustion.

It barely got to talk to Céasire or Momo. Momo was spending almost every waking moment preparing Fumiko for her auditions. Even in class we would only have a few moments before and after to discuss. So the only person I've been speaking to was Rika. Or I guess not really talking but listening to her order me around. Meanwhile, the only times I saw Céasire was when I past him in the middle of a photo shoot and at the beginning and end of the day. Even then we didn't get a chance to talk much. He was either too focused on the task or extremely tired at night to maintain a decent conversation. I really doubt that this is what Momo expected when she suggested that I to learn more about the business. It wasn't what I thought at least.

I brought my Aikatsu phone back up looking at the next item on my list. 'Organize the sheets that you just brought in. There should be a stamp on the corner that's different for each category. If there is no stamp then put it in a separate pile for no stamps. Then in each category put them in order of date, oldest on top, it should be the first or second line of the document. Finally leave it on the table for me.' I sighed, scanning the empty dressing room. Céasire was currently in a fitting, last I heard, and Rika was probably by his side. As muse he had an important role in not just modelling but in handing all of the important decisions. He also had to be the last model of the night meaning that he had to leave the final impression for everyone. So for the first ever City Lights fashion show, he had a lot of pressure riding on him.

I shifted through the papers one by one following her instructions. I didn't read any of the wording only sorted them differently. A knock surprised me enough to throw the sheets I had in my hand into the air. I guess I was loud enough to alarm the person outside as they opened the door. They peek through the door first before rushing in to help me pick up the scattered papers. I hurriedly collected one side of the room while the person the other side.

"Sorry I didn't know that you would be surprised by that." I looked up picking everything up to the face of the top designer. I jumped back clutching the papers in my hand tightly.

"T-top designer-san!" I bowed in respect but since I was already on the floor, I probably resembled a samurai begging for forgiveness. He shook his hands in front of me.

"Please don't worry about stuff like that. I'm not too strict over it. I already know that you're a fine kid so I know that you don't mean anything bad." I raised my head quickly dropping it again. I moved a little slower when cleaning up.

"Um i-if I can, may I ask something?"

"You already did." I blushed laughing a little. "I'm joking. What's up?"

"Um it seems that you know a bit about me. E-even in the first meeting you knew my name when I didn't even get the chance to introduce myself. Did you- perhaps- see my audition?" He handed the sheets he collected to me. I brought it up to the table with mine so that I couldn't mess it up more.

"Well yes I did but I learned more from Hayate-san. He thinks very highly of you." I finally made eye contact with him. "You didn't know?"

"He did mention it when we first met and when he met my friend as well. I didn't think much of it though. I thought it was just what he said to make people feel better." Céasire did seem like the type of person that liked to see people happy.

"That's not really the case. Hayate-san even requested last minute tickets for you and Suzukawa-san to his debut stage. Those tickets were almost impossible to reserve with the little warning he gave us. I guess both Rika and I really gave it to him after seeing the passion on his face." His face exclaimed in thought. "Can I bring you somewhere?"

"Uh I don't know. I have to finish organizing the work Rika-san left me. I still have a few more things on the list as well." He suddenly grabbed my hand, pulling me up.

"I'll take care of Rika-san." He dragged me through the door without my consent. I took one last glance at the table I left in a mess worrying at what Rika would say if she saw it. Especially if she knew that I was distracting the top designer from his work to accompany me.

He took me to the nearby photo shoot ducking behind the giant backdrops. He held one finger to his lips telling me to watch quietly. He used the same finger to point to the flashes of camera in the center of the room. I followed his direction seeing that it was Céasire standing there. In total there were five camera surrounding him. My eyes widen seeing the look in his eyes. When I passed him these past few days I could only glance at him before running off to do something else. Staring at him now I saw that he truly was a model. A slight tilt of the head was all he needed to change the whole mood.

From where we were stood I could see the computers that received the pictures. Each camera would go off at the same time to get different angles yet he would change his attention every few seconds to look at another one. This made him get shot of his backside with him still looking to the back. It made me think of a bad boy warning an enemy to not move as they made a dramatic exit. He would then look forward again to run his hand through his hair slowly giving off a sexy look. Even by changing where his placed his hand made the image go from sexy to intrigue with the side view. I thought that being aware of fan cameras was impressive but to do this. To control your body in such a way that every aspect was portrayed as beauty was incredible.

With the director's end call he finally relaxed. Instantly he was swarmed with a makeup team, a business person and Rika. The two explained something to him while the makeup artists did light touch ups to his face. He didn't move his face much but I noticed that his eyes would follow the two talking, moving his mouth with minimal effort to communicate with them. What was most notably was him being a bit shorter than Rika. At first I was confused when I noticed that he was lowering himself to help the makeup artist see his face on an even closer. His debut stage couldn't hold a candle to what he could actually do in is natural environment.

"Hayate-san has been in the modeling business for a while now that knows how to act properly. Yet it could be a tiring work." I knew that when I saw him after each day. His eyes would droop even when trying to keep a conversation with me or Rika. Yet despite the lack of sleep he was still attending school and working to his limit. The top designer walked out of the room making me follow behind. In the quiet hallway he leaned against a wall.

"Then he started to improve even more. Working past his limit the past few weeks in preparation of his debut and even this fashion show. We were originally supposed to do it over the next month or two. Hayate-kun was the one to suggest moving forward while the attention from his debut was still on him."

"Why would he do that? Isn't he tired?"

"That's where you come in. I asked him exactly why he suddenly made such rash decision for himself. He said that he saw these two auditions for Starlight academy that really broke what he thought of the entertainment. A pair of friends entered the audition with barely any training under their belt and from the start of their auditions they already had people interested in them. The Star couple's daughter refusing to go by that title and a complete sheep newbie, unknowingly were in complete sync. Their performances blew everyone away on how opposite that they were. One so technically on point that she put the others to shame and the other so moved by the stage that he threw away everything to show off his own colours. These are his exact words."

His words hit me like a wall. It made me fully realize why his was trying so hard. Those tickets that he reserved for us was to make him stand out in our eyes like we did his. He worked himself to this exhaustion because we were, in his perspective, better than him. We were supposed to be on the same level yet in his eyes we had already suppressed him. When we told him what he did wrong in his performance it was almost like we were mocking him from a higher standing. Now as his assistant I haven't given him any pointers since I wasn't the type of person that he imaged me to be.

"Top designer-san, do you- would it be possible to put a stage in too the fashion show?" I asked meekly. I have no idea how I can help Céasire with a fashion show. But if it's a performance I had more of a chance.

"We did consider adding one in but Hayate-san was the one to reject it. The day after his debut actually. He said that we needed to focus more on the brand itself and not on showcasing him. We eventually agreed in that favour." I bit my lip. I really did want to help but I was helpless in this cause. The fashion show was in three days and Céasire hadn't even had time to practice a song and dance within the time frame. His popularity would probably shoot up if he did a performance though. I had to think of something that can persuade him to go forward with my idea.

* * *

That night I tried to think of a way to bring up the subject. It was the same as the other nights where he was tired out of his mind or chatting with Rika on last minute details. Now he had even less time as the fashion show was less than two days away. I sat in his dressing room again reorganizing the sheets from yesterday. She was not happy that I was dragged away from my work and nearly doubled the load since I couldn't finish the first half on time. The top designer did vouch for me like he said but it didn't disregard the fact that I left my work unattended. So I had to redo some of it with the addition of extra piled up of top.

My stomach growled in vote for a small snack break. Around this time I would have been having dinner with Momo in the cafeteria. That's when it hit me. Only with two days Momo would be able to give more pointers than I could. She was dealing with Fumiko's auditions at the moment so I could probably only get a few things to note. That was better than nothing though. I checked that I was alone, taking out my Aikatsu phone. She was the only one on the contact list that was not listed as family that made it easy to find.

I listened as it rang a little when she picked up. "Ah Momo-san. Am I interrupting anything?"

"No you're fine Shouta-kun. I was just talking to dad regarding my situation with Fumiko. Is everything okay?" I felt a bit of relief hearing that I wasn't bothering her. With her personality though I could tell if I really was bothering her though.

"I um have a favour to ask you? I-if you have time that is. I know that you're busy yourself too. I wouldn't want to impose."

"A favour? That's a rare request from you." She questioned.

"It's not for me. It's for Céasire-san. See he seems to have put us up on a pedestal. So much that he is working super hard to do better and improve. He's running a fashion show that's going to happen in two days. I really want to help him stand out so I suggested a performance. Yet with the little time that he has left I'm worried that he might not be able to do that well since the only training he's done the past few days was in class. I was hoping- now I'm not forcing you but- do you -maybe- want to help coach -or at least give a few tips for Céasire-san?" I inwardly jumped when the door to the dressing room opened.

"Higawari Shouta!" I rudely ended the phone call with Momo, hiding my phone on my lap despite knowing that she probably already saw it.

"I wasn't doing anything!" I openly admitted guilty.

"It's fine if you want to go on your phone just not when you have so much to do. Do you realize that this show means a lot to not only the people involved in the planning but to the fans waiting themselves? These papers, although mundane, are necessary for you to complete." I dropped my head a little as she passed me a small tray of food. "You should eat properly as well."

I ate a few bites of the food as she inspected the progress I made. My phone beeped on my lap, shocking me a little. She spared me a glance letting me know that I could check it if I wanted to. The notification bar let me know that Momo had sent me a message.

'I'm already busy with preparing Fumiko that I don't think I have time to assess Snapshot. He and she are challenging different fields that I don't think that putting them together right now can help either of them. If it's a performance lesson that he needs then you want to speak to Snapshot's homeroom teacher. He's way beyond my skills and knowledge if you want to give him a shot. He's always available to help students out. Just get Rika-san to ask him beforehand since he is pretty popular.'

'Céasire-san's homeroom teacher? Now that I think about it, I never got to a chance to meet the other staff besides my teachers and Headmistress Aoi.' I shyly raised my hand to draw her attention to me.

"Rika-san? Do you think it's possible for you to schedule a practice lesson for Céasire-san tonight with his homeroom teacher?"

Her face scrunched up a little. "A lesson? Why? He's already busy enough as it is."

"Well- this can serve as a break. He's been stuck doing the same thing for a while now- having some time to dance and sing can be a stress reliever. Céasire-san is also an idol now. I think he should practice- train a bit more in things he's not- familiar with. Maybe just for today?" She tilted her head nodding along to my story. After giving enough time to consider, she took out her phone to make a call.

* * *

"Good morning! Or should I say, good night, dudes!" I took a step back at the man in the green tracksuit yelling at our faces in what resembled English. He jumped back as well giving a mini twirl. Céasire, standing beside, laughed as he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Rika had set up a meeting with Céasire's homeroom teacher who was more energetic than I expected. Despite it being close to midnight the man exploded with energy. This must have been what Momo felt when meeting Fumiko. I think she and Mr. Johnny Bepp would get along.

"Alright! I hear that you wanted to take a break from modelling in order to calm you down. Even though this is a breather for you, it will not be any easier than any day in class. It may even be harder since it's an extra lesson. Are you ready for that?"

"Yes!" We both said at the same time. I originally wasn't planning to participate on his independent study. Mr. Bepp had saw me, however, and said that even though I was 'Cool-kawa's' student, it didn't mean that I should get deprived time to improve. That and me not being able to say no led me here.

"Great! I love that attitude. Let's start with self- production. Where do you guys find yourselves lacking in?"

"I want to improve in my singing skills." He started off for the both us.

"I have some trouble with raising my confidence?" Mr. Bepp rubbed his chin taking in everything.

"The way I see things, I'm not needed here. The both of you can work to improve each other. First is Céasire-dude who wants to improve musically. Yet standing beside him is a self-composer and guitarist, who received lessons from Peach-honey prior to their acceptance. Following him is Higawari-dude who lacks in self-belief. Who better to teach him than someone who's been in front of a camera for more than half of his life? I propose that Céasire-dude would choose a song that he wants to fix, Higawari-dude will listen and give his advice. In turn, Higawari-dude will work on his relationship skills to not stutter nor advert his eyes. Got it?"

We both exchanged glances. We didn't say anything when Mr. Bepp suddenly left the room waving us off. The room was tense with just the two of us alone. There wasn't the noise of rushing employees coming past us or traffic like in the drives we did. We only had ourselves here.

"So- um - Is there any song that you w-want to try? I can't guarantee that I can help-but I'll try my best." I said already forgetting what Mr. Bepp said about not stuttering and avoiding eye contact.

"Rika-chan told me that you were the one to think of this. Didn't know you had it in you Dobu-kun." He smiled as he took a seat on the floor.

"I sort of had a talk with top designer-san during one of your shoots. He told me what you said about me and Momo-san."

"Ah that..." He leaned backwards onto to his hands. I sat down watching him. Staring up to the ceiling he reminded me of Momo speaking about her parents. The look that you gave when the thing you wanted most was out of reach. Resembling her made me think about how each of us portrayed each other. It wasn't just Céasire that put us on pedestals. Momo viewed her parents on the top of the idol world that she even forgot that Takahashi was Starlight Queen. Even myself. I referred to Momo in a time of need and admired Céasire for the way he worked. We all had images placed onto us where we were more amazing than we were actually were.

We had faults too. Momo can't display nor understand her emotions that well, that her relationship is strained between people like her former classmates. Current classmates too, actually. Céasire realizes that he is still rookie despite having years more experience than everyone else. Myself, there was a list of things I can jot down that I wanted to fix about myself. I haven't had a chance to interact with Fumiko so I can't say anything for sure. She must have her own insecurities though. Somehow knowing that I was not the only worried about what people thought was soothing.

"Hayate-san?" I took a leap. He stopped starring at the ceiling to meet my eyes. "For this fashion show you're going to show people who you are. If they were unimpressed by your debut stage then this is where you'll show who you really are. By doing something you love."

His eyes widen, relaxing to lie on the floor. He spread his arms out letting me hear him laugh out. "You can bet on that."

I felt the tension from my shoulders disappear. Somehow the thought of practicing to improve our faults slipped our minds. We really didn't need to any more. He should focused solely on his fashion show not adding to his plate. When the time comes that he really does need to put on a performance, that's when I'll be the one to help him. This week I'll just be his errand boy.

* * *

Hayate stretched his arms above his head finally entering the car. I handed him his recently refilled water bottle. He took it gratefully, drinking a few chugs. Rika entered the car last taking the driver's seat. "Good news, we finished everything. No hitches, nothing. You did a great job for your first hosted fashion show. I only heard positive things regarding your skill. They look forward to your future endeavors." She praised him.

"I wasn't alone. It was the work of everyone together. That includes you two as well." He nudged me playfully still smiling at Rika through the mirror. It was a satisfying feeling knowing that he acknowledged all of everyone's hard work. The drive back to Starlight was enjoyable with the stress of the fashion show behind us after so long. Rika dropped us off, promising to give Hayate a bit of a break before anything big were to come up.

"Since I have a break, do you want to hang out? Not as idols, just to be clear."

"What do you mean, not as idols?" He shook his head, tsking at me.

"As friends, of course. Come on, I know a nearby arcade." Momo was still working on last minute details for Fumiko changed audition that I spent the rest of the week with Hayate. He was surprisingly good company for me. Most of the time he was the one to take me places. It was fun. I never got to hang out in such an upbeat environment that it was an interesting to go out with my new friend. We went out for the most part yet still did our duty as an idol to train properly.

When the sun started to set we decided to eat in the cafeteria to end of our day. We got in line at the same time noticing Momo and Fumiko enter, noticing us they came to join the line.

"Hey, how was the audition today?" I asked feeling a bit more comfortable with people. Hopefully this was nothing too touchy of a subject for me to start out on.

"I didn't win but there's always next time. Especially with my new best friend. Isn't that right Momo?" She threw her arm around Momo's shoulder which she quickly removed in order to grab a tray. I grabbed one for myself following the flow of the line moving up.

"I expect nothing less from Momo-chan. She is the one to mold Dobu-kun into the boy he is right now." Hayate, being the gentleman that he was, took two trays giving one to Fumiko. "I'm Céasire Hayate by the way. It's always nice to meet another pretty face."

I sweat dropped watching him put on his French charm unknowingly. "I'm Watanabe Fumiko. Nice to meet you Hayate."

I marveled at how well the two of them hit it off. There wasn't any pressure on their conversation that it seemed like they were friends for a long time. When we were at the table together it was surprising to see how we got along. With each of us having our own stories and experiences, it was an interesting thing to hear everyone's different lifestyles.

"So Shouta-kun, how was working with Snapshot?" Momo asked. We did discuss the basics of how the fashion show went but I never fully gave her any specific details. Hayate and I chuckled at the thought of the exhausting week we had.

"It was tiring. Hayate-san is a workaholic and secretly a fan-boy of ours." Hayate covered my mouth from saying any more. Everyone giggled at the sexy model displaying shyness.

* * *

 ***You'll notice that this chapter doesn't have song, for obvious reasons, but it you know a Japanese song that would suit my characters you can leave it in the reviews or PM me and I can consider adding it in.**

Thank you to every follow, favorite, reviewer and reader.

Trivia: Higawari Shouta was named after two things. His first name, Shouta, is after the singer / utaite Shounen T who sung _Hey_ from chapter 1. He was also made to resemble what the icon for Shounen was meant to look like.

His last name, Higawari resembles Card Captor Sakura's Hiiragizawa Eriol, who was a well manner, mischievous boy. The main point that I wanted from him for Shouta was that he had a presence that many people didn't see but he was actually very important. He had a lot of hidden talents as well.

JazzyWCitty and Aipom4: You guys probably don't realize how much one sentence reviews really make me happy. Thanks for waiting for so long.

Erin (Guest): Dentistry is a hard road to go down so do your best. You seem to have a plan for yourself which is way better than I did. Even now I'm procrastinating my Chemistry homework. Oops.


	8. Song Writing

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED

*Blue Moon by Hoshina Utau

Momo's POV

I shook my head at Fumiko who was reading the list with me. "We should be getting to class." I read through the list of offers one last time crossing my arms. I tilted my head side to side before letting out a sigh. I turned on my heel heading to class having her follow. I went to my spot in the classroom with Fumiko sitting on my desk. I took out my class materials arranging them as I placed them on the desk.

"Honestly you're being too picky. How can you not find anything? We were looking at the board for almost 10 minutes." While I took my seat, Shouta opened the door letting a few girls quietly squeal at his roommate beside him. Shouta was fixed on being formal in saying goodbye by bowing to Snapshot, who just laughed at him. After winking to a few other girls in the classroom he said his goodbye. Shouta was caught in the middle making him embarrassed at his actions.

"Good morning Momo-san, Fumiko-san." He bowed to us before taking his seat.

"Ah! You haven't done it yet either! What's the with you two?" Fumiko pointed at him somewhat pulling herself a little on my desk to get closer. He looked at me pleading for some help with his hands up in fear.

"She's just complaining that we haven't debuted yet." I turned to Fumiko ignoring her pouting face. "You shouldn't scare Shouta-kun. Besides I fail to detect why you're so flustered by it. It's not like there's an expiration date for it."

"It's because everyone is waiting for it. It's already been over a month. Don't you hear the news around the both you? You guys are the most anticipated idols nowadays. Everyone's craving to see what exactly you guys are capable of. That includes me too. All we've seen is your Starlight entrance test and everyone's already super excited. I'm sure Hayate would say the same thing if he was here. I should have asked him when he was dropping you off." Of course I knew that people were anticipating it. My Kirapatter itself was loaded with messages asking for the next occasion they'll be able to watch me perform. Shouta's was nothing less from what I've assumed.

"Um-" Shouta slightly raised his hand. "I already signed up for something."

"Really? What is it?" I was in shock since this was the first that I've heard of it. After being Snapshot's assistant last week Shouta was taking a few steps to becoming an idol. He fumbled a bit with his Aikatsu phone looking still unfamiliar with the unusual device. True, the Aikatsu phone was more complicated than the typical Japanese phone as extra applications were specifically implemented for idols only. That made it easier so that most people wouldn't accidentally sign up for random events. After a bit of struggling he handed the device to me. Fumiko leaned her weight onto my shoulder trying to read it.

My eyes widen at the bar at the top of the description. "Shouta-kun did you read this thoroughly?"

"A-A few times to double check that I wanted to do it. W-why? Is something wrong?"

"This isn't a first-year test. See on this top bar? It tells who it's recommended to. SL 2-3, DA 2-3, ETC stands for both Starlight and Dream second to third years and independent idols. Meaning that no first years should be taking it." He snatched his phone out of my hands. I watch his eyes move back and forth reading the sign again.

"Can you please cancel it for me Momo-san!" He held his phone tightly.

"I can't do that. The only person that can deny your application is the event planner. You can try calling them if you're desperate, but they can reject your pleads depending on the amount of participants. If the count is low they may decide to keep people in to establish that it runs smoothly. And considering that they accepted a first-year student, it doesn't look that good on the participant count. Fumiko was lucky to catch an easy break." The colour paled from his face as soon as I finished my sentence. He dropped his head onto his desk losing all strength.

"Well it can't be too hard. What's it for anyways?" Shouta grudgingly gave his phone to Fumiko. She read it and looked at me. "He'll be fine. It's an audition for songwriters. Doesn't he already write his own songs? Sure, it's harder facing against the upper years who had a year or more experiences than him and, sure, he's a rookie with barely a month of training but- actually. I never heard anything that he wrote. Hey, are you any good?"

I facepalmed myself at her bluntness. Shouta repeatedly mumbled that he was an idiot to himself making her realize her mistake. "I mean- hey Momo what was your mom's debut audition? I'm sure she had difficulty in choosing one. Not as much difficultly that Shouta may have-" She slapped her hand over her mouth to stop from going on further. I sighed deciding to play along with her attempt at changing the subject.

"Mom's? That would be the one with Aunty Ran. Wait. Now that I reminisce about it its almost that time of the year. Hmm but that doesn't suit me either. Neither of those to say." Fumiko and Shouta looked between one another in confusion. Before they could question me further, dad walked into the classroom. Fumiko jumped off waving at us that she'll catch us later. Dad settled his stuff onto his podium while the other students got into their seats. He cleared his throat once.

"Good morning everyone. To start off class I have an important announcement to say. As per tradition there is a special audition that takes place at the beginning of every year. Since most of you have already gotten used to the scene Headmistress Aoi decided that this was the perfect moment to bring it up. As you should know, Takahashi Charlotte is the current Starlight Queen and so this audition is for everyone to receive a chance to become her manager for a day." The class started excitedly talking to their friends on the opportunity. Shouta connected the dots looking at me. I nodded at him communicating that's what I meant by mom's first.

"Yes, yes it's all very exciting. Both first year classes are eligible, so you can sign up for it using your Aikatsu phones as usual once classes are finished for the day. They will take place in a week, so everyone please prepare well. That's all. We will be beginning class now."

* * *

"We're going to be real rivals this time, Momo. I need to go all out against you. I ask nothing but the same attitude towards me." Fumiko held up her Aikatsu phone to present that she had signed up for the Starlight manager audition. I looked at the number of students signing up as the numbers continued to rise as soon as classes ended. It's been a couple of hours since then as most students ceased their practice for the day and came into the cafeteria with us for dinner.

"Well that would be true if I was signing up." I took out my phone to show that I hadn't signed up for anything. She grabbed my phone holding it still making sure that she was reading it correctly. I pulled it away putting it back into my pocket.

"Why not? This is the opportunity that barely anyone has a chance to do. Being Charr-chan's manager would be a chance to witness how difficult being Queen is. I mean Headmistress Aoi already warned us it was going to get busier throughout the years so why not learn the feel for it at the start? I watch Charr-chan on TV almost every day, so she must have a busier life. I thought that you would have wanted a hands-on experience."

"It's not really a 'hands on experience.' The whole premises is meant to exhibit the high amount of work that idols have to do on a daily basis. Being a manager is different in the aspect that you are basically shadowing her for a day. She won't be necessarily be teaching you either. A manager must be on top of her needs along with being a representative of who she is. Takahashi-senpai is already self-produce/ managed. There's not loads that you'll be doing. The most would be to learn manners and roles in the field."

"You're too negative. At least I'm going out to see the different fields. You saw how well Shouta is doing after he was 'voluntold' to assist Hayate. Besides, the fact that I'm participating in an audition would be a good way to promote myself. Unlike some peopleee." She stretched out her words with her eyes clearly delivering her message.

"I just want my first audition to be something important. Something to set the basis of my image of who I want to be. Not rushing out just because my roommate tells me to." I took a bite of my meal.

"And what basis would that be?" I hummed in thought. I wanted people to learn who I was. Exactly who that was the real question. The words that I would use to categorize myself was intelligent or maybe astute. Nothing major. There was a lot that I had to learn regarding myself. Besides where my interests lied it was hard to understand what exactly my personality was.

"How would you describe me?"

"Beautiful, brilliant, talented, unique, shall I go on?" A male voice came from behind me. Recognizing the different accent on his words I knew that it was Snapshot. I didn't have to turn around having him take a seat next to Fumiko with his tray of food.

"Where's Shouta-kun? Weren't you guys in vocal classes together?" Classes like vocal and dance separated the genders to make it easier to compensate the different capabilities that differed us.

"He went to talk to Headmistress Aoi regarding the problem with his audition." He held back a laugh. "Honestly Dobu-kun would be completely lost if it wasn't for you."

"Shouta's enthusiasm is kind of cute. I think that Momo would be cuter if she at least tried to debut. Wouldn't you agree Hayate? That Momo should follow in our footsteps or she'll be left behind. That people are genuinely waiting for her to show off her skill. Tell us your honest feelings because no one here is going to hold that against you." Fumiko leaned into him with wide eyes. Even the extremely flirtatious Snapshot had felt uncomfortable with her randomly invading his personal space with such bug eyes. He slowly turned his head towards me without poking the beast.

"Momo-chan's debut? She should do it at her own pace. She's already cute enough as it is." Fumiko glared at him as he didn't agree with her point. "Well there's no point in charging right into it. She probably needs to make a clear, definite performance to display something that she enjoys. Why? Were you considering something?"

I shook my head, Fumiko shaking her's more furiously. "Really? Not even the Queen's manager one? Pretty much everyone in my class signed up for that one. I went to the practice room earlier and there was a bunch of first years practicing. That includes the courtyard being filled up. Everyone is super stoked to at this chance."

"She isn't Starlight Queen for no reason. Wait, if a bunch of people are practicing I should go too. I wouldn't want to fall behind." She shot up grabbing her tray. I stood up grabbing her by the shoulders and pushed her into her seat. I used my chopsticks to point at her two bowls of food.

"Finish your food before running off. Then wait at least 30 minutes before attempting to exercising. There are other ways to prepare than to rush into battle. One thing is to ensure that you eat a proper meal. Not only is it improper to exercise after eating, it's worse to waste food that the cafeteria workers made for you. Do not waste your energy or food." I sat down to finish my own meal. Fumiko grumbled like a sad child eating her dinner.

"She's right. Modelling takes a huge toll on your diet habits that sometimes I can go a full day with a few apples. I would feel lightheaded for the entire day and it just ruins everything. The people training were almost passing out last I checked. You should take care of your body before signing up for such a competitive event."

"So, are you going to try out to be her manager as well, Hayate?" He shook his head.

"Nah, if I wanted to learn to be a manager I would learn from Rika-chan instead. I'm kind of exhausted from my fashion showcase drama so I might focus on my idol side of me for the moment. As someone said, my skills are, nonetheless, lacking in that department." He said making direct eye contact with me.

"The fact that you are exhausted demonstrates your hard work. Taking a break is important as well. Something that Fumiko needs to learn to do." She stuck out her tongue at me. "You can't deny that it's false. You literally exhausted yourself last week trying to debut. Honestly I need a break as well after all the hassle you brought upon me."

"You said that you would help me out. It made us bond faster and you can't deny that." I chuckled at her taking a spoonful of rice. I was in the middle of chewing seeing Shouta walk into the cafeteria. I waved at him to reveal that we were here. I thought that he would at least go to grab some food for himself, but he came directly to us. He moved slowly sitting with a solemn look on his face. The three of us looked at each other as he sat there not moving. I quietly moved my head somewhat in front of him.

"What did Aunty Aoi say?" He shook his head.

"The same as you. There was nothing that she could do and since I did mention that I have experience in composing, there's no reasonable way to explain that I can't enter. Especially considering that the details did say that it was meant for upper years. If she were to call, it wouldn't make a difference if she is the Headmistress." He let out a groan, hugging his bag. I placed my untouched salad in front of him.

"You'll do fine. Do you have any ideas on what you're planning to write?" He poked a bit at the salad with the fork.

"No. I have a few ideas that are unpolished, but I don't have the motivation to finish them. I think that I'll try to make one by scratch. Ahhh I have no clue on where to start! My head is spinning just thinking of a melody. I'll also need to find a place to record a sample track, but I don't know if they'll let me if I don't have anything to present to them. This is becoming such a mess and I only have six days to figure it out!" I took advantage of him panicking to put a forkful of salad into his mouth. Everyone jumped at my action.

"Both you and Fumiko need to learn the importance of food. It was one of the most important and repetitive things that mom taught me growing up. If it's a studio that you need then I know one that you can use. All you need to do with your worry is put it into the song." I pulled the fork out finishing my sentence. He rushed to eat it, covering his mouth with his hand.

"You can actually find me a place to record?"

"Well I have to give a call beforehand but I'm certain that he would be happy to lend you one room for a little while. He's always willingly to help me out so he will just love you. It's close by so it shouldn't be that big of a problem for you to work in. Once you finish the salad and pick up at least one bowl of rice then I'll give him a call." Shouta dashed out of his seat to get into line. He returned out of breath that he prevented him from stuffing himself.

"Momo-chan is kind of like the mom of this group. She makes sure that we are well fed and to calm us down if we're panicking." The two eating their dinner were quick to agree. Shouta stopped nodding to replace his smile with a serious look. It could have been because there was the remaining stress of the audition on his mind. I almost let it be when Fumiko noticed as well.

"Come on Shouta, lighten up she got you a studio to record. A real professional place. Isn't that good news? What better support do you have than Momo? I can't name any music studios around here besides the ones on campus." Out of the corner of my eye it looked like Shouta had flinched at her words yet viewing him a second after, he seemed completely normal.

"I-if it's not too much of a trouble." I raised an eyebrow at him. It was normal for him to be nervous and considerate of other people, but he was holding out on something again. It was a problem that he still had difficulty in opening up. Not to mention myself included.

"No torment engendered by, as Fumiko put it in precedent, your cute alacrity." Fumiko and Snapshot raised their arms to make an x. Shouta tilted his head.

"Do you mean that there's no problem? O-or am I completely off?" The two confused ones were surprised that he understood me and looked to me to determine if he was right.

"Very close, on the contrary. Fumiko just mentioned that your alacrity, meaning eagerness, was cute and it doesn't bring a problem to us." They clapped for him making him blush and eat some rice to cover his face.

"How did you do that? Once she said torment I completely blanked out knowing that her incredible high level of vocabulary is not to be compared to mine." Snapshot stated.

"Um it was kind of in context. Momo-san wouldn't openly say that it was a problem even if she wanted to. It was kind of a guess." I applauded him too finding it nice to have him understand me a bit better so that I wouldn't have to explain everything I say. He didn't follow every word I said but it was a nice display of how close we were.

"So, it's settled. I'll give my Uncle King a call later today to ask if he has some time tomorrow after classes." I jumped as Fumiko started choking on her food. She pounded on her chest to calm herself down as Snapshot handed her glass of water to her. She refused it, finally clearing her throat.

"Uncle King? As in THE King?! Drummer of MoTru?" I laughed at her giving her a nod. She squealed grabbing my hands from over the table. Uncle King wasn't my real uncle but similar to Aunty Aoi he was considered family to me. That included the rest of dad's band that often visited whenever they had a craving to eat one of mom's bentos. After More Than True had broken up Uncle King had taken over the music studio that they usually practiced at. He encouraged anyone to follow their musical ambitions that he was opening his doors for anyone that needed the support. "I'm definitely coming! I'm calm in front of Suzukawa-sensei because he's a teacher and all, but to meet King as well. I'm dreaming, don't wake me up. Do you think that I can meet Hiro and Shurato as well, Momo?"

Snapshot laughed nervously covering her mouth. She stopped fangirling questioning why he was stopping her. He motioned with his eyes towards me for her to understand that I probably wasn't enjoying that she acted like all the girls in my old school to use me to meet celebrities. She 'ohh'ed nodding to him. "It's fine you guys. Anyone would get excited over meeting Uncle King. Just try to keep it to a minimum. On the case of if you can meet him or the rest of the members, no." She was flabbergasted in trying to find her words.

"Why? Why? Why? I promise that I won't act weird in front of him." She complained.

"Because you have to prepare for your own audition. You've already established that our classmates are ahead of you, so you don't have time to be going to meet my uncles. We're also going to help Shouta-kun not to play around." She groaned, sadly chewing.

I checked my Aikatsu phone to double check that I had Uncle King's contact information. I saw that a few more people had direct messaged me over Kirapatter. From the notification bar I figured that they were continuing to send me questions on myself and when I would be debuting. I gave a sigh pushing the bar upwards to remove it off the screen until I had a chance to read through them.

* * *

"Little Momo-chan has already grown this great deal when I wasn't looking." Uncle King rubbed my head affectionately with a loving look in his eyes as if I was his own child. "Ah you're following in your mom's footsteps in becoming an idol at Starlight and started creating music like your dad. It's was hardly yesterday when I saw you in the hospital with your dad. I can't recall the last time I saw you that it makes me feel a little lonely."

"Uncle King, you saw me a few months ago for mom's birthday." He laughed embarrassed at himself overreacting. With the rocker vibe around him most people are surprised that Uncle King was a big softie. Over the years his image had mellowed a bit, losing his red mohawk, but his fashionable clothes represented his drummer side. The few posters of More Than True were proof that he didn't change his style.

"Ah that's right. I guess it was kind of a shock hearing the news. The fact that you came to my studio makes me proud that you're going into music. Soon you'll be the one recording demo tracks and full-length albums." I poked his arm preventing him from rambling on too much. "Right, moving on. I take it that the one with the guitar is the one that needs a room?"

"Um I-I'm Higawari Shouta. I'm in your care for a little while so please treat me well." Shouta bowed to him with his guitar strapped to his back. Uncle King waved him off smiling at nervous Shouta. Snapshot bowed as well but with better confidence than Shouta.

"I'm Céasire Hayate, a friend that's here to support him. Also..." He took out a piece of paper out of his bag with a pen. "Momo-chan's roommate asks for an autograph from you since Momo-chan wouldn't take her request. She's busy preparing for another audition so she couldn't be here today but if you can send her some support I think she'll really appreciate it."

Uncle King slapped his hand onto my shoulder laughing at me shaking my head at him. He took the paper, professionally signing his name the same way that he has been doing for years and handed it back to him. "I'm always up for making a fan happy. Now that that's taken care of, why don't I show you to your room?"

We followed him through the maze of halls hearing a bit of muffled music through the walls. Following the signs near the top of the walls it showed that the building was split for different reasons. Some were recording studios that most singers and producers used, some were practice rooms with a few instruments that could be rented, and some were a mixture of both that allowed people to practice and record at the same time matching to what More Than True did for the most part.

Uncle King swiped a card through a door letting us enter first. Since Shouta wasn't a producer he wouldn't understand the control panel that played with music. I suggested giving a mixture of practice room and record room. It had a few simple equipment that allowed the musician to play around with a few demos until he made one that he approved of. I wouldn't expect him to learn everything that was needed in music arrangement and tuning with the little time he had anyways.

"Well there's not much to show you. Everything is self-explanatory and I'm not the sole worker here, so you can always ask for help if you don't understand something. I made sure to book out this room for the week after your classes end so you come in whenever. Try not to break anything and you'll be fine. Any questions?" We looked at each other shrugging our shoulders.

"I think we're good here. Thank you for helping us out Uncle King. I understand that this is a business, so I appreciate you letting Shouta-kun work here."

"Don't sweat it. If you detect talent in him then one room is nothing that I can't give." He handed me the card key leaving us alone. Snapshot and I took a seat on the couch with Shouta on the single chair. He took his acoustic brown guitar out of its case. Carefully placing it on the guitar stand, he took out a notebook with a treble clef on the cover which I figured was his songwriting book.

Now that I thought about it, besides the one that he sang to make us meet, I haven't heard another one of his songs. From his personality I doubt that he was a hard-punk type, but I don't know much about him. I've never attended a song writer at work since dad was already retired when I was born. Shouta was just sitting on chair in silence flipping through the pages. I kept staring at his face as he played with a pencil in his hand. I couldn't explain the way he looked as this emotion was washing over him. It made him look more vulnerable than usual.

I was always the one to push him out of his bubble for the most part that I didn't get to see him in his natural environment where he was most comfortable. It was a new side of him that I had to thank the audition for letting me see. He raised his eyes to meet mine. Instead of turning away he just blushed as if there was some confidence inside of him.

"Um I'm really grateful that you guys want to help me out, but I think that I would be able to focus a bit better if I was alone. I have no idea what my song is going to sound like. Please don't take this the wrong way. I don't mean to be rude after all that you did for me." Snapshot stood up grabbing his bag off the floor.

"It's fine Dobu-kun. We weren't doing anything anyways, right Momo-chan?" I snapped out of my trance and gave him a nod. I stood up getting my bag. I placed the key card on the music stand waving at him before closing the door behind me.

I released my held breath once we reached the lobby. "Dobu-kun is pretty intense, isn't he? He completely forgot us being in the same room."

"I saw, it was-"

"Scary." / "Amazing." Simultaneous, I said amazing Snapshot said that he was scary.

"You thought that it was scary?" I questioned.

"Well... yeah. I'm getting chills just remembering about it. The reason why I call him Dobu-kun is because he's a small animal. That person in there was fearless and was completely immersed into his work. I didn't expect that I would see him that way until he learned to talk to me without being formal. That's a scary thought that he can change to that while writing that I can't predict what kind of piece he'll create."

"There's the dissimilitude part between us as that's what's amazing to me. I got to meet him through his music that it makes me excited to hear what he does next. Watching him write for the first time I realized that Shouta-kun never stops to impress me. He's taking the initial step into his career and I can't wait."

"That's the power of song writers." I jumped at Uncle King popping out from around the corner with a tall stack of binders. I quickly walked over to help him with the stack along with Snapshot. With each of us taking a part of the pile he looked relieved. "Thanks, you can just put it onto the counter."

With the pile off our shoulders Uncle King stretched out his tense muscles. "You kids are the best. I was lucky to not have tripped."

"Uh Uncle King what did you mean by a power of song writers?" I asked as his entering sentence caught my attention.

"I heard you guys talking about the Higawari kid a bit down the hall. Let me guess, he kicked you out of the room so that he wouldn't be distracted." With the help of his hands he pushed himself onto the counter next to the piles. We nodded wondering how he could tell. "Nao was plenty the same to your friend when the band started out. He had a lot of pressure on him to ensure our future that he ignored everyone and for a while he would seem really tense that the other members were questioning if following him was the right choice."

"Dad was like that?" In my eyes dad was calm, cool, collected. To hear him stressing out was new to me.

"Yeah, one in a lot of cases we got into fights over his songwriting habitats. Both sides constantly complained. It took everything in my power to have them believe in him since I knew that he was better than what they thought. Nao finally revealed his skill in the end, proudly showing us the finished product. I still remember how he looked. That's the power of song writers. I can't claim that all song writers are the same but what I can say is that every single one that I met has a characteristic presence to them. Once you hear his song, if he's as talented as you claim then you'll learn what I mean."

"Do you see potential in him? Even if it's just as a musician?" I asked.

"I believe that there's something in him that he can't express openly. Whether or not he can express that in his music is up to him at this point." I accepted his answer though it made me a bit worried for him. Shouta had merely five days to write a song from nothing. Even sitting in the room, it didn't look like he was writing a lot. Some brainstorming ideas at most. He had scribbled a few of them out in the end not really approving of the it.

"You kids should be getting back to campus or Nao will scold us for staying out too late. I'll take care of the Higawari kid when he finishes up." We glanced at the wall clock realizing that we were here for three hours. I can only imagine how long Shouta would be here until he realizes that it was got dark.

"You're right, thanks again. We'll be leaving then." The two of us bowed heading out. The streetlights were on, yet it wasn't too dark that we could walk safety. Luckily the school wasn't too far that we had to walk around 15 minutes.

"You know how you asked him if he sees potential in Dobu-kun?" I nodded in response. "Do you see potential in him? I mean, I've never seen him writing before and still don't know much about him. You've known him for longer so what do you think?"

"I'm actually on the same level as you. I've only have around month over you. This is my first time observing his process as well." He almost stopped walking to face me.

"Really? With the way you guys talk I thought that you guys were childhood friends or something. Maybe, lovers until I met you. Does that mean you guys met and decided to become idols together on the spot?"

"Basically. In fact, to answer your previous question, I personally scouted Shouta-kun to enroll into Starlight. If you ask me if I perceive any potential, then I'll reply without hesitation that I notice it better than anyone. He's still rough around the edges in being an idol that I can't deny. I admire him just to the same level as I do for my parents."

"You'll go that far for him? A second ago you said that you barely know him."

"I don't have to. It's his music that will show me what he wishes to say. I put my trust in that."

* * *

Four days past and I barely saw Shouta. It was similar to when he was acting as Snapshot's manager yet not exactly the same. The main difference was that he no contact with anyone. Not even Snapshot saw him for longer than an hour a day outside of class. He would reappear in his dorm late at night that he sometimes collapsed on the bed before Snapshot had a chance to bring up a conversation. Hours that he wasn't in the studio he was continuing his Aikatsu training. He manages to finish his homework and keep up with his daily exercises then disappears to the studio.

The only reason I knew that he was still functioning was that Uncle King watching over him by providing him with some food and water from time to time. The main thing that bothered me was that Uncle King found no evidence of him touching the recording equipment yet. The practice room was as neat as day one, minus many eraser shavings that were on the floor and pencil shavings in the trash. It told me that he hadn't found anything to properly compose.

Whenever I tried to ask him about the song he would reply with a few sentences to try and reassure me that he was working well. I didn't buy it for a second, I had no place to criticize him though. Unlike the other things that I've taught him, I had no knowledge in what I should do to spark inspiration. This was his area that I had to respect.

Meanwhile there was me who still hadn't found the answer to Fumiko's question. I explored possible answers on how to describe myself or the way I want people to view me. This included taking random personality quizzes to trying to write multiple self-introductions for myself. Nothing was what I envisioned it to be. It mostly revolved around facts of my hobbies that didn't explain who I was. I enjoyed music, can play guitar and sing a little, study intensive and eating sweets is something that I can't stop doing. They weren't lies, yet I couldn't go from this.

I wrapped my thick blanket around my shoulders looking up the sky. I rested my head onto my knuckles to support it up. Last I checked it was around 22:00 hours when I left my dorm. I needed to clear my mind that I went for a short walk. No one was out this late except the security guards roaming the grounds. Fumiko was an example of what I should be doing, sleeping soundly in our dorm. After making a round I sat at the gazebo in the courtyard for a small break. I let out a sigh staring at the full moon shinning down on me as the main source of light.

"Fumiko is making progress in her training day to day. Snapshot has a set goal in his practice. My classmates are working for the Queen's manager. I'm going to be left behind at this rate."

"Momo-san?" I perked my head up at Shouta standing on the sidewalk.

"Shouta-kun? What are you doing out here so late?" He made his way over to me rubbing the back of his neck flustered. I noticed on his back was his guitar case meaning that he had just came from the studio.

"Hayate-san got fed up with being in the room with me as I wrote so he kicked me out for a little while. What about you?"

"Ruminating." He held up an x then set down his guitar by the pillar. "Thinking."

He nodded, understanding. He took a seat in front of me. "Ruminating about what?"

I chuckled at him using my vocabulary finding it funny to hear him saying it. "My image. What exactly I desire to be, what goal I'm trying to accomplish, those sorts of things. Fumiko's been on my case trying to make me debut. I try to push it off by saying that when doesn't matter. On the other hand, I understand that she has a point because people keep advancing ahead of me. It feels kind of strange to openly admit that it makes me worried after telling her constantly that I prefer my own pace."

I laid everything to him since I always felt comfortable around him. "What's preventing you? You clearly want to debut with the rest of us."

"My selfish perfection that says that I have to make sure I have to debut in a way that only the idol Momo could do. Say, how would you describe me?"

"About Momo-san?" He stopped to observe around us. "At the beginning I thought, she's a prodigy. Someone that was able to listen to a song once and turn it into her own. It made me assume that you were the caliber of idols that I had to reach. I look back now and realize that I was completely off."

I stopped to process his words. "Should I take that as an insult?"

He shook his hands out in front of him. "No! No not at all! I meant to say that- um you were-am-still are"

I used my hand to cover half of my face as I laughed. He stopped freaking out taking a second to calm down, smiling at me. He blushed giving me a second to stop my chuckles. "Sorry I didn't mean to laugh but you can be pretty cute. Please continue."

"I was really nervous to be around you. You seem to learn everything that there is. Studying every day and evaluating everything critical eye, sometimes a bit too much. Even if you hadn't sung or played guitar in years you still pull the both of them off as a second nature. In the end, instead of a prodigy I saw that you worked hard for the current you. That's the type of person that you are. Someone that I rely on if anything became rough."

He twiddled with his fingers letting out a sigh as he looked upwards. I read his face not understanding why he spoke about me in such a positive light when his eyes displayed that he longed to stop speaking. It wasn't the way of a liar I would say. It was more so that he didn't want to go on further. "Well if you can rely on me then can you tell me your problems?"

My eyes widen as he made eye contact. Direct eye contact that he didn't break. "I'm relying too much, aren't I?"

"What makes you say that?"

"It's like Hayate-san says you're the mom of the group. It's what Fumiko-san says, who else could get me a room in a professional studio with no problem. Who was the one to push me into Starlight? I had trouble with trying to plan Hayate-san's possible stage that my instinct was to call you fully knowing that you were busy. This week I wanted to try and be independent for once. That's not really working out since I can't seem to create a simple bar of music."

"I never thought that you were too dependent on me. You're the first person outside of my family that I talked to with ease that it surprises me. You still understand me, including some of my terminology, better than others. I told you my stress in trying to find the right audition because I felt that you would be the only one to give me an answer that I was looking for. That I use you as a reason for why I became an idol. That I figured out the importance of debuting when I saw you moving up. Doesn't that mean that I'm too dependent on you?"

"I guess we are an in-sync pair." He joked making himself laugh weakly. We kept hearing that joke everywhere that most people don't see that we were clueless on our relationship. We were essentially strangers to one another. And yet at the same time we were closer to one another than the majority of people that we knew.

He looked up towards the sky. His eyes suddenly lit up, grinning widely. "Momo-san I made a mistake in signing up for a second and third year audition. I don't regret it at this point though. I think I know what direction I want my song to go in."

Seeing him so happy I figured out what I wanted to do first as an idol. "And I think that I can pick which stage I'm going to try out for as well. I saw it a bit earlier but wasn't convinced that I should apply since it's not really an audition. Talking to you, I'm okay with it being my debut platform."

* * *

I held my phone away from my ear as I can tell that Fumiko was trying to yell her way through the call. "Can you please not scream into my ear?"

"How can I not? You suddenly left as soon as classes ended to announce last minute that you found which audition you wanted to do. You didn't even tell me what it is. After all the drama that you went through to pick one I'm dying to see what you to do. Can't you give me a hint? Where are you going now?"

"That ruins the secret. If it plans out the way I want then you'll be able to find it for yourself when I make the debut you so badly wanted. I have to go now." I could hear her telling me to wait as I ended the call. I used the black screen to check that my appearance was well kept before sliding it into my bag's side pocket. I opened the door to the building where I was greeted by a man behind the counter. He took one look at my uniform seeing that I was here for the event. He lead me to a room with the other constants.

I kept taking in my surroundings. I took a few deep breathes to calm my nerves reminding myself that I had made the right choice coming here. I remained quiet as I leaned against a wall watching people filling the room in both usual outfits and idol school uniforms that helped me blend in. Quickly counting the number of heads, I found that it was close to what I predicted to be, around 23 people with a dominate female presence. The amount was small compared to something Fumiko was trying out for, but it was reasonable number for this.

The event planner soon came out to start. The room went silent as the planner was straight faced. He stood in the center of the room with a microphone in hand. It was clear to understand that this was not something to be playing around with. I acknowledged his skill that I couldn't argue that the atmosphere was rightful in tune.

"I assume that everyone here is aware of what they got into. We will get start away. Inside the room to my left there are 32 pictures on the wall. Each one of you will choose a picture that will categorize you into a pair. In the event that people pick the same group then the assigned partner, that will be revealed at the end, will choose which representative they want, and the rest will be relocated to a second choice. You have 30 minutes to choose and submit a ballot with your choice. You may proceed." Matching the participants to the number of pairs it was obvious that some photos would not have an idol to represent it.

A helper opened the door handing out a small paper for us to write out choice on. Entering the room, everyone spread out to get at last one glance at the pictures. I heard people anxiously mumbling in a way to ease themselves not noticing the cameras around the room to capture our reactions. At first glimpse it was just to decide on any picture that you wanted however it was a test of strategy. The way to win at this audition depended on the group but if you had to be randomly put into a category you would be put at a disadvantage if your group leader did not choose you.

I walked calmly looking at each design carefully. They weren't meant to be complex masterpieces just images probably taken off the internet. Some caught my eye. A black diamond, a kaleidoscope coloured butterfly and an anime girl with a heart. I stopped walking finding the one that I would choose. A pale moon fading it a blue background the whole image was hilarious. I probably surprised the rest of the group by laughing out loud. I looked at the rest of the photos once more before submitting my ballot. It took a bit more time for everyone to choose and for the votes to tally up.

"I will announce who chose what." An MC went through each number. Some not having anyone signing up for it and others having the highest so far being 5 for one. When he reached my number, he stopped to question his helpers. They confirmed that it was right leaving him intrigued. "Group 17, Suzukawa Momo SL-1. That's all."

For the rest of them it was shown that I was the only one that had no trouble with being placed. I smiled knowing that my analysis was correct. We were asked to gather in front of the picture of our choice to meet the partners. "For group 17, the group leader is Higawari Shouta, SL-1."

I chuckled seeing him shyly walk into the room to me. He stumbled over his feet seeing me that he fell flat on the floor. I crouched in front of him giving him a hand up. Taking it, I saw that he was still in shock. "Oh, what's this? It looks like Higawari Shouta and Suzukawa Momo have been paired up together! For those that don't know the two of them are best friends attending Starlight academy."

The MC looked to the planner who suddenly appeared next to them. He made a movement with his hand asking for the microphone. "Suzukawa Momo, Higawari Shouta. The purpose of you selecting an image was to make sure that everyone had fair chance. Can you explain how the two of you magically got pair up?"

Shouta was alarmed at the accusation. I placed a hand on his shoulder giving him an encouraging squeeze. "Yes, I can. To make it straightforward, I chose the image that would be the best bet in song that was unpredictable. I trust in Shouta-kun's to showcase a beautiful song that I followed him. I only knew that the moon represented him because only he could make such a mistake."

"Can you please expand more on his so-called mistake?" I moved to the side to allow everyone to see the moon.

"Though people try to deny it, covers are important. That's why you had the writers find an image to represent their work. As a music producer you understand that as well. When I look at this I couldn't help but laugh." The planner, or in reality a music producer with a talent in helping new idols make their first demos, came closer to look at it.

"I can't seem to find what's so funny. The image is beautiful with a sense of serene over it."

"Precisely. Wouldn't it serve better for a ballad?" His mouth dropped slightly understanding what I meant. He looked between the two of us, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards.

"If you can, can you please explain in further details as to what Suzukawa-san means by that?" The MC asked. The producer turned around to face the crowd and towards one of the cameras.

"The mistake that Higawari has made was forgetting that his portion of the audition was designed so that idols would eventually be singing it. Ballads are extremely difficult to master if the singer does not understand the feelings. Yet in this audition they would not have an opportunity to hear the song before choosing it. None of the writers were revealed until now that people couldn't bet on skill either. Picking this song would lead to a 50-50 chance to either show off your talent or flop if the song was terrible. That's why everyone avoided it. On the other hand, was Suzukawa who saw the first-year inexperienced problem that lead her to him."

The other contestants started murmuring that they did avoid it because it was too risky when they first saw the picture. They wanted to ensure that the song would fit them that they wouldn't put their trust in the unknown song and writer. Shouta blushed now figuring out how everything fit together. "That created this unique case in which the only first years here forming a pair."

Shouta looked at me. "Momo-san you signed up for an upper year audition too?"

"It looks like I'll be dependent on you this time as well."

* * *

Every pair was given two hours to listen and practice their songs until we were required to perform it. With all the restrictions it was evident that this wasn't something that most first years would be able to handle. Shouta, himself was pacing in the waiting room as other songs were being shown. Like the photos represented, each song sung so far was more energetic than his. I didn't have to listen to the song to know that. I would just have to listen to his comments and back lashing towards himself to learn what's happening. "You just have to watch me from here. If you worry too much I'll probably feel it on stage."

"I-I know. It's just- you're going to be singing my song and all. Isn't there anything else I could do to help you? This is your debut as well. It's my song that will ultimately decide if this is a success." I rubbed my head knowing that he wouldn't calm down if I couldn't think of something.

"Actually, before some units go on stage they have a pre-show ritual that they do to support one another. How about we come up with one? Something simple like shouting Aikatsu?" He shook his head. "Well one thing's for sure. It has to be something that only we could do."

His eyes lit up as he held his hand out. " _Nee arigatou..."_

I was confused when I recognized the melody. It perfectly fit for the two of us and this situation. I grabbed his hand giving a small shake. " _Gomen..."_

" _Oyasumi..."_ We harmonized on the last word staring at each other. Breaking our hold first, I rolled my shoulders to release any tension.

"Group 17, group 17, if you can go on standby." He gave me shaky thumbs up but was still was able to somewhat calm down. I walked over to the change room door stopping before I put my hand on the handle.

"One more thing Shouta-kun." I turned around to face him. "Since mom failed her first audition, it makes me more determined to win today. That's why I'm going to represent your song to the best I can." I threw open the doors running up to the dress- up machine. I held my **Aegean- Blue Torte Coord** in my hands. I knew that the outfit wouldn't match the song, but this was just the beginning for the two of us.

I stepped onto the Gothic House Stage walking over to standing mic. I looked back at the moon that lead to this choice of stage. Looking forward to the crowd, there was only the MC, music producers and moving lights from the Aikatsu headsets. I held onto the microphone loosely hearing the music start. I would have to thank Uncle King once more for working on the accompaniment with Shouta all night.

 _Hoshi wo kakushiteru utsumuita hitomi ni_

 _Tomadou dake nani mo dekinakute_ I looked downwards at my feet

 _Te to te kasanete mo dokoka gikochinai ne_ My grip on the mic tighten as my fingers interlocked

 _Yume no naka mitai ni waratte yo_ A smile was put on my face hearing myself sing his hopeful yet heartbroken lyrics

 _Yoru no kanata hibiku senritsu_ A memory popped up of how his song got stuck in my head for the week

 _Atsui mune wa sawagidasu_ And how I was frustrated in not being able to find out who he was until I sang

 _Sasayaku BLUE MOON te wo nobashitara_

 _Sugu ni todokisou na no ni_ I stretched my hand out reaching towards the audience

 _Itsumo yasashiku hohoemu dakede_ In my mind I could remember the way that Shouta smiled that first time I heard in the shopping plaza.

 _Oikakete wa kurenai ne_ How much he advanced in his Aikatsu studies. Performing the song, I could see that he was going to leave me behind

 _Ichibyou ichibyou hikaru sunatsubu da ne_

 _Hitotsubu mo kobosenai wasurenai_

 _Kiete shimai so na hosoku togaru tsuki ga_

 _Muboubi na senaka ni tsume wo tate_

 _Amaku nokoru kizuato fukaku_

 _Kizamu akashi daiteite_ The lyrics were full of anguish that made me feel that I was being crushed by his emotions. I couldn't lose to him.

 _Hakanai BLUE MOON doushite kimi wo_

 _Suki ni natte shimatta no_

 _Onaji bamen de togireta mama no_

 _Kanashi sugiru monogatari_ I stopped singing taking in the guitar playing. Unknowingly I closed my eyes and swayed to Shouta's strumming. Hearing it clearly behind me left me to feel as if he was there to push me. Even though he didn't reveal what he wrote the song about I could understand his feelings that he wanted to declare.

 _Miageru BLUE MOON kimi wo omou toki_ I didn't open my eyes just yet letting myself sing with to his melody without a care of the people in front of me

 _Watashi no jikan wa tomaru_

 _Nageki no BLUE MOON hatenai yami no_

 _Fukasa ni nomikomareteku_

 _Kanawanakute mo aishiteimasu_

 _Itsuka sora ga sakete mo_

 _Eien ni omotteimasu_ I finished cleanly, taking in deep breathes finally opening my eyes once more.

The audience started screaming, a few moving their hands that resembled that they were wiping their tears. There was something stirring inside of me that I didn't feel during my Starlight test. It was like when I started getting perfect grades. The feeling of accomplishment for all my hard work. I wasn't alone though. I was carrying Shouta's blood, sweat and tears with me that moved me most. That's why this was my perfect stage.

* * *

"Now the moment we all have been waiting for! The votes have been tallied up and the winner has shown their own colours in dominating the stage!" All pairs stood in a line on the stage. Shouta stood behind me, holding tightly onto my shoulders hiding his uneasy face from the public. "Everyone give a big round of applause to..."

There was a dramatic drum-roll followed by the lights turning off. Lights swirled around each person finally stopping on us. "Higawari Shouta for his work in creating in _Blue Moon_!"

Confetti went off startling him backwards. If he wasn't holding onto to me he would have fallen. With him clinging on to me, we walked over to music producer. He handed a gold trophy to Shouta who took it with shaky hands. "Your song was beautifully made and was presented by a very talented singer. Although you are both young I look forward to your future endeavors. One day I hope we meet in my studio."

Shotua bowed a couple of times as people cheered him on. The MC gestured for him to move closer to him. "Now one question that any song writer has to go through is, what was your inspiration for _Blue Moon_?"

"Um the song- it was- um- I wrote it -part of it- a while back about Momo-san and o-our relationship."

People gasped loudly. "Uh I'd like to rephrase that. The concept of the _Blue Moon_ was in the idea that Momo-san envisions her parents. They are far out of her reach that it hurts her from time to time. But the reason why I couldn't complete the song a long time ago was because there was something lacking in it. We had a talk last night that made me see that in a way I wasn't too different."

He spared me a side glance. "I admire Momo-san that I forced myself this week to be separate. It ruined my composition in short. Right now, Momo-san is the moon that I viewed from the ground. So even if she one day she disappears from my line of vision, I have her to thank for everything. Hopefully I said that better in my song than I did now."

We both blushed deeply as the MC retrieved his mic. "That's quite poetic of you. I can speak for everyone when I say that the two of you definitely have a strong friendship. Then Suzukawa-san, I must ask, this isn't the typical audition where the singer gets something in return besides some recognition in singing. What made you come here?"

"I beg to differ that I don't gain anything. This is my debut as well and it sets the premises of how I want people to remember me as. I dragged a stranger off the street to be an idol, I signed up for an upper year test and I choose a ballad as my first choice. To summarize, I don't know what's going to happen next. I require a plan down to the smallest detail like an equation. I'm going in the opposite course in the end. I'm just going to continue to surprise people and hope they manage to follow."

* * *

Thank you to every follow, favorite and reviewer.

Trivia: Watanabe Fumiko. Watanabe comes from XxxHOLiC character Kimihiro Watanuki who was a tendency to overreact to the point that it's used most of the time for comic relief. He is still very caring to everyone he meets and matures a lot (like a lot) as the story progress. Fumiko comes from another fanfic that I write where the OC's adoptive mother is named Fumiko who cares about my character more than she showed.

Guest: I have plans for the entire Momo family to have a touching moment so please forward to that as well. But because you asked for it I started planning some more time for Ichigo/ Momo relationship bonding. It'll take a few more chapters until I can put it into the flow of the story. In terms of the previous generation they will mainly be around providing guidance to this generation, so they'll be making brief cameos.

vortexnature: Thanks, I'm glad you like it. The thing with Ran is that she is off modelling somewhere, but I'll get into more detail into that afterwards as I know when she'll make her appearances. I don't want to spoil too though since I have a lot of random plots.


	9. Manager

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS NOR THE PEN NAMES USED

*Watashi e by Supercell (Nagi)

Fumiko's POV

I laid stomach flat on my bed scrolling through my Kirapatter. Momo sat at her desk working on some homework or something like that. It was filled with random chemical formulas that made my head hurt trying to understand. How she read that for fun was beyond my knowledge just like what she studies. "Momo look, there's another article on you and Shouta."

She didn't take her eyes off her textbook, flipping to the next page. "I don't know why you're still reading those. After two days, articles start to become repetitive in both analysis and commentary."

"Because it's proof that I was right. People are still talking about how you guys beat a bunch of second and third years in your first audition. Who wouldn't be impressed by you guys? It's not even just beating them! It's the fact that you guys did it together when the odds of being put into a pair were extremely low. I loved Shouta's song and your performance, that I can't help but to be proud of these articles. I mean just look at your idol's aura! It's so pretty! I'm not even sure when mine will appear." She rolled her eyes at me, trying to hold her smile back.

I played the performance again focusing on Momo singing the final verse as her aura was seen. A mixture of small light blue crescent moons, amber- yellow suns and silver stars circling around her with pink -white peaches being the main point. There was something else that could be seen in the background that made the whole image work. Green fluff balls with animal ears played on a music staff flowed through the crowd seemingly dancing in the melody. I just knew that it was Shouta's music speaking out to audience.

I happily paddled my legs reading the article on the two of them. "You would think that you'd show more concerned over your big day rather than fussing on me."

I smiled thinking about how I won against the whole grade. That's right, you're looking at the Starlight Queen's manager for the day. Tomorrow I'm going to spend the whole day with THE Takahashi Charlotte. I can't wait until tomorrow comes. Closing the article, I looked up Char's profile. There were basic facts about her from her birthday to her sleeping habits. Reading more and more things I found it amazing how she was self-managed herself. "Hey, Momo how come Hayate has Rika but Char-chan is alone?"

"That's mostly because he's been in the business longer than her. Snapshot's been a model since he was six while this is only Takahashi-senpai's second year being an idol."

"Wait." I rolled over to sit on the edge of my bed. "She is a second year. Does that mean that she became Queen in just one year?"

"That's why she's called the next Kanzaki Mizuki. The most interesting part I find is that unlike Kanzaki who had been a model in her elementary days and had training from Bepp-sensei, Takahashi-senpai had no experience prior to her entrance. Not much is known about her past in general. As far as anyone can interpret she was a normal girl that one day decided to be an idol."

"You can't say that. She's been on top of the charts since the beginning. I, myself, have almost every one of her covers downloaded. You don't get that kind of status just by one day deciding to be an idol. What about her split personality? Wouldn't it be hard for her to make friends? Wouldn't that also make it difficult for her to go to interviews? How do you think she does it?"

"You can ask her yourself. I know as much as you can find online. I do have to say that I've seen firsthand how hard she works to hold her title." For Momo to approve her meant that she was the real deal. This just fired me up even more. It was like I had a goal to accomplish. I was going to find out how Char was able to become Starlight Queen.

* * *

I stood outside of Char's private residence early in the morning like she requested. From what I heard the Queen always inherits the original Starlight Queen Palace and renames it to their own preference. This year Char took the honour of naming it to be Charlotte's Cottage. The atmosphere didn't match the name as the place was solicited from the rest of the campus with a gate blocking it off. Apparently, it was meant for Kanzaki Mizuki to resign in but was left empty after she graduated that led to its use now.

I raised my hand to ring the bell when Char came out. In shock, I took a step back. My body was frozen having her this close to me. Not because she suddenly opened the door but in fear. Her light blue eyes were sharp. Too sharp for me to handle. I admired Char since she debuted but never has any one captured Charlotte on tape. Only rumors that she had confirmed to be true.

"Ah you're on time. We should head out or we'll miss the car." She took the lead in locking her door and walking away. Having her at a distance I snapped myself to catch up. I ran to her side making sure that I wasn't too close to her. I moved first to help open the van door. I was trying to be courteous by letting her go in first. She stopped to look at me causing me to tense up.

"You should go in first." I was confused but I didn't want to argue with her and got into the car. She gave the directions to the driver on where to go even telling of nearby traffic that we should avoid. Not wanting Momo's statement to be right, I had to learn about Char and help her through her day.

"So, what's the plan for today?"

"I'm first going to be a guest host on a live broadcast radio, then I'm going to volunteer at the daycare for a little while. After that I'm going to a fan meeting and performance at the mall. It's a small venue so there shouldn't be too much problems relating to getting confused. Finally, I have a meeting with Headmistress Aoi regarding the Starlight anniversary. That's quite late in the day and to keep everything a surprise, you will be relieved of your duties by then." I tilted my head a little.

"That's it?" I thought we would be running around from place to place trying to fit everything in. It seemed like the most interesting thing that would happen would be the fan meeting.

"Yeah. Is something wrong?" She took her eyes off the window to look at me. I shook my head quickly to dismiss any doubt that she may have on me managing her. She brushed it off as nothing resuming to stare out the window. Not wanting to get distracted on my phone, I did the same. The car ride took about 15 minutes for us to reach the radio station.

I leaned forward, surveying through the windshield that a bunch of fans had crowded the entrance holding signs and pictures of her. The car pulled up slowly coming to a complete stop right in front of the entrance. Some security stood in two straight lines creating a path for her to walk down. Suddenly the tension was released from my shoulders as she moved to get out of the car. I almost stopped her so that I could open the door from the outside when she had already stepped out.

My heart started racing feeling the excitement radiating off her fans. They screamed loudly as she hopped out happily. I found myself drawn to her as her aura was flowing out. In that quick second of her opening the door she managed to switch from Charlotte to Char. There was small hop in her steps seeing all the people that gathered around.

I tilted my head a little noticing the door on my side. I recalled that Charlotte wanted to sit on the right side of the car when we first got in. Now looking at the way the building was orientated, if I was the one the sit on the right side then I would have been the first one that the fans and not her. That could have made it awkward for the fans that anxiously waited for her.

I took my time getting out not feeling that I had the right to walk close to her. I strayed behind her as the secretary lead us through the place. The host welcomed the two of us and handed her a outline of how the interview would go. She took a quick scan over it, nodding her head. "May I suggest a tiny change?"

"Of course, as long as it doesn't take too long to put in I don't mind much. What do you have in mind?" Asked the host.

"Well-" Char placed one hand onto my shoulder. "I have here my manager for a day. She's a first year at Starlight. I was wondering if we can try giving her a bit of air time."

I almost rejected the idea when the host clapped her hands together. "That's a great idea! The more the merrier as they say. Plus, I would be the first one to ever interview her. If she won the audition to be your manager I'm sure she'll do well here. What do you say?"

I stumbled a bit in finding my words. For a second I felt like Shouta had influenced me. "Sure, it sounds like fun. I've never been on a radio show so please take care of me."

"Great! Come on in then." The host opened the door to the main broadcasting station. In the center of the room there was a large circle table covered in mics and wires. The room was packed with electronics like the heavy cameras that directors used for movie sets. From what I remember this studio was not just live broadcasting but also a watchable one as well.

I took a seat next to Char in front of my own microphone. I played a little, swinging myself back and forth on the swivel chair. The people behind the glass signaled for our attention. Counting their fingers with the pointing to the clock, I figured that they were trying to tell us that we about five minutes until we got started. I followed their lead by putting on my headphones.

I was so used to my usual store-bought headphones that I've never got a chance to test out the professional type. From the moment that I put it on I found that they were high quality sound proof headphones. Suddenly putting them on made me get a headache that I had to put it only on one ear. That still managed to confuse me that I wanted to take it off or at least have the radio show start so that some noise could come through.

I tried not to show it as much as I could until the start. I was startled when Char-chan poked me in the shoulder. "You know you don't have to wear them. They're only here so that we could hear what the listeners. That allows us to control our volume levels and what not. As long as you don't speak too quietly or blow their eardrums then you don't have to force yourself. It takes a bit of time until you get use to them. Even I get a bit sick of it."

I looked at her headset seeing that she was wearing it the same way as I was. "It's okay, I have to get use to it like you said."

She smiled, getting herself comfortable in her chair. A red light came on letting us know that the broadcasting had started. "Hello! Hello! All listeners, I'm your ever-reliable host Hoshi. Today on Idol Talk we have two specials guests. So, wherever you're listening from please give a round of applause to this year's Starlight Queen, Takahashi Charlotte and her manager for the day Watanabe Fumiko."

We gave ourselves a short applause. "Hello everyone, how are you guys doing today? I'm Takahashi Charlotte."

She pointed and me. I quickly sat closer to the mic. "And I'm Watanabe Fumiko, it's pretty early so we should wake everyone up."

"Today these two are going to answer any questions that you guys have so send them in through any of our SNS and we'll answer as many as we can. We're going to have a fun time so don't go away after these short advertisements." From my one headphone ear, I heard a familiar tune for an ice cream ad. I bobbed my head to tune watching the small tablet in front of me filling up with questions. Some of them were just people commenting compliments for Char. After a minute or two of advertisements the host came back online.

"Wow, everyone is really enthusiastic today. I was kind of surprising seeing all of you reply so fast. And we said we would so let's answer some questions. Let's see..." She scrolled through her own tablet at the list. "Oh, how about this one from pen-name Elcall. 'Hey Char-chan! Today my friends and I are going to your concert later at the mall! Is there anything that you want as a gift? I'll try my best to bring it for you :).' You have some pretty generous fans out there Char-chan. Even today I saw our building swarmed with your fans."

"I know right. They always treat me well whenever I appear in public. I'm stoked to meet them again today and getting a chance at being able to talk to them face to face. That's what I love the most about fan meetings."

"I would expect. There must be a clear difference between that and you on stage."

"Of course. On stage I can feel that each of them loves me but talking to them lets me understand them individually. They already know so much about me that I feel like it's my turn to learn about them. My favorite thing is when they tell me stories of how I helped them through tough situations and I'd like to tell them that they do the same for me. That's something you can't hear when I'm stand on stage." She happily spoke as her eyes sparkled.

"Well I have a feeling that your fans will continue to support you for a while. But back to the question, is there anything that you want them to bring you?" She playfully rubbed her chin in thought.

"That's a tough one. I feel like if I ask for something, all of them might bring me it. Then I would have a thousand of the same thing. Um... How about their love and support?" The host and I laughed at her giving her applause for her quick thinking.

"Hear that Elcall-san? Char-chan doesn't need anything else but her fan's support. So how about the next question. Char-chan you can pick this one out."

"Okay then- Um- from pen-name Aipom4. 'I absolutely love and support Char-chan!' Thank you for that Aipom4. 'How does it feel to be the Starlight Queen? You must have been so excited when you won.'"

"Ah the golden question that everyone's been wondering about. As Starlight Queen you hold the title of the highest idol at Starlight and only being a second year. It must nice to own that title."

"Actually, I haven't really processed it myself. I just continued to work hard and next thing I knew I won the Queen's cup. If I didn't wake up in the Charlotte Cottage every morning I think I would have forgotten it myself. Like you said, I'm only a second year. This year other students started calling me 'senpai', even that was enough to throw me off. I'm going to continue to try hard though. It's a lot of pressure on me to maintain that title but I don't plan to hand it over to anyone just yet." She sent me a side glance.

"I guess that could bring us to out next question. If Fumiko-chan would do the honours." She gestured for me to the question that was highlighted on the screen. I cleared my throat then moved closer to the mic.

"From pen-name JazzyWCitty. 'WOW Fumiko-chan's really is lucky to have win that manager audition. I want to spend a day with Char-chan too! What's it like to be seeing her work behind the scenes?'" I was surprised when I realized that the question was meant for me.

"I would actually like to hear this too. What do you think about me, Fumiko-chan?" She rested her head on her hand looking attentively at me.

"Well it's only the beginning of the day so you would think that I wouldn't have a lot to say but like my roommate likes to point out, I do have a habit of running off. To keep it short so that I don't bore the listeners I'll just say that Char-chan is hard-working. She woke up early this morning to come here and can come up with witty comments on the spot. We still have the rest of the day left so I'm going to make the use of it by learning all that I can. I do have a comment about something that she said earlier though." I met with her eyes assured that Charlotte would come out. "You're going to have to hold onto the Queen's title hard because you've shown that a first year can take the crown. So that's what I'm going to do at the end of the year."

The host jokingly fanned herself. "Hear that listeners, the first declaration of treason from Queen's kouhais. How does that feel Char-chan?"

She amusingly looked at me. "I'm looking forward to that. It makes me excited to see exactly what you can do."

* * *

"Tag! Fumiko-chan is it!" The kids ran away from me the moment they heard their classmate shouting. They screamed loudly trying to hide themselves from me. I panted heavily as I had been doing this for what seemed like half an hour. Kids had more energy than I remembered since barely any of them was as out of breath as I was. I looked over to Char who was being dragged around by other kids to come hide with them.

I took a deep breath in then brought out the last of my strength to chase after them. You would think that with my training I would be better than a few kids. Nope, these kids didn't know about pacing. They only cared about escaping the 'it'. Luckily, I was taller than all of them giving me the long leg advantage over them. That and they occasionally tripped but at that point I was too focused on making sure that they were okay to catch them.

I managed to catch one kid calling them it as one of the teachers called us in. The kids and I whined that we wanted to play more. The one teacher was put into a tough spot seeing all the children pout. I immediately stopped siding with the kids knowing that the teacher didn't want to disappoint them.

Char walked up beside the teacher. The teacher was surprised but relieved when Char gave them her killer smile. "Come on guys, you should give us a break. We're getting older now that we can't keep up with you."

Char hunched her back over pretending to act as a senior citizen. She held onto her imaginary cane, scrunching her face up to resemble wrinkles. We all laughed at her, agreeing to let the 'grandma' rest. Even the teachers in the back, gave out a small chuckle seeing her act silly. This was the charm that Char had over everyone.

We all moved inside as per the teacher's instruction giving me a minute to catch my breath. I sat on the floor at the back of the room having all the students run around the room to get their water bottles. I waddled over to Char who was talking with the teachers. I waited patiently, helping a few kids open their bottles, as they spoke. She was finally free when the teachers had to prepare for the next part of their day.

"Can I help you with something, Fumiko-chan?" She started walking to the art cardboard.

"Um I just wanted to say thanks for what happen when the Sensei said that it was time to come inside. I realized it, afterwards, that I should have listened to them as a role model for the kids. You were able to convince them to come in so easily so thanks for that." She handed me a few empty baskets labelled 'safety scissors' and 'glue'.

"It was nothing. Besides I would have wanted to play longer too. As long as you stay on task that is."

"I'll make sure to do that from now on. Responsibilities first."

"That's good. Do you mind helping me clean up? The kids are going to have snack time soon. We wouldn't want anything lying around." She stood back up with her own set of baskets. I eagerly nodded in agreeance. I happily skipped around picking up a few stray glue sticks and their lids off the floor, placing them in the right spot. At this point most of the kids were scattered around the room with their snacks.

Suddenly there was a familiar chill down my spine. In my mind I knew that something was happening with Char. I looked over to where she was sitting with a little girl. Looking closer I saw her natural curved smile was gone and her light eyes had returned, making her Charlotte.

I rushed over to help the young girl in front of her when I saw that she wasn't afraid. Instead, she was happily chatting with Charlotte as she chewed on crackers. I walked over, carefully not poking the beast. I gave a quick scan of the younger girl noticing that her blue hair matched Charlotte's. The student saw me and waved happily at me.

"Hi there. What's your name?" I crouched down in front of her.

"Takahashi Ayumi! My friends just call me Ayumi-chan." She gave a toothy smile showing that she was missing one of her front teeth. I calmed down realizing that she was probably related to Charlotte meaning that she was used to her threatening presence. I gave a breath of relief knowing that she wasn't going to be scarred for life as the dangerous side of her idol was coming out.

Ayumi's smile dropped a little looking behind me. I turned my head to follow her gaze. The majority of the class had fallen silent, frozen in place. They stared directly at Charlotte. That's when I remembered that since Charlotte was never caught on camera, these kids who probably didn't know that she had a split personality couldn't prepare themselves for such a drastic change. Even I had trouble processing the whole thing when I first heard of it. Then adding on seeing it in real life something else entirely.

I stood up clapping my hands together to try and get their minds off of her. They slowly looked at me. With their scared attention on me I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Split personality wasn't exactly something that I knew much about to be able to explain to a bunch of panicked preschoolers. Suddenly Ayumi ran up in front of me, smiling again.

"Hey guys what's with those faces?" She placed her hands on her cheeks, pulling them outward. She shook her head crazily making weird noises to accompany it. One by one the students laughed at her, cheering her on. The knot in my stomach faded as I caught Charlotte standing up. She came next, placing her hands on Ayumi's shoulders. She gave the girl a subtle wink.

It was like all the kids completely forgot about Charlotte in the presence of Char. They looked at her with bright eyes, returning to their energetic mood. "Hey kiddies, sorry for the scary face. I didn't mean to scare you guys like that. How about to make it up to you I'll perform a song. Would that be okay?"

They all cheered loudly that the teachers ran out of their staff room to come check on us. One of them came up to me wondering why they were all chanting Char's name. "We ran into a little problem so Char-chan is offering to sing a song to make it up to them."

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea. Actually, we have an old keyboard if you like Char-chan?" Char looked at us with the kids surrounding her feet.

"Sure!" I helped move the electronic keyboard out of the storage, plugging it into the wall for her. The entire class rushed to sit in front of the small piano as Char took her place on the stool. I took a seat in one of the tiny chairs having the teachers stand behind me. "Any requests from my cute fans?"

Ayumi's hand shot up, waving it back and forth. "Sing that song! The one you played for your audition!"

Char smiled with a small blush dusting her cheeks. "Okie dokes. It's a little short but I'll do my best." She took in a deep breath, hovering her fingers just above the keys. 'I don't want to miss this. Momo will love this.' I took out my Aikatsu phone pointing the camera at Char.

 _Haro konnichiwa hisashiburi_ Her eyes fixated on the keyboard moving quickly over them for the introduction. Soft and light like her image.

 _Watashi wa ima nani wo shiteimasu ka_

 _Genki nara ii kedo_

 _Tokorode ano toki no kimochi wa_ Her body started to push itself into the piano giving heavier notes.

 _Wasureru koto ga dekita deshou ka_

 _Ima wa mada muri desu_

 _Itsu no hi ka motto toshi wo tottara_

 _Wakaru hi ga kuru no deshou ka_ Her fingers slowed down for a bit, hitting one key at a time, letting each note speak for itself with the accompaniment of her voice.

 _Honto ni kore de yokatta no kana_ I heard how she was slowly progressing upward, getting higher and higher. Her face showed no struggled though.

 _Tama ni omou koto ga aru kedo_

 _Sonna koto wa iwanai de okou_

 _Datte watashi wa shitteru kana_ My breathing stopped hearing the way she delivered that note.

 _Jibun no monogatari wo_ Her hands seemed to have glided over the rest of keys giving it the escalating feeling as she finished off.

The kids screams of encouragement was the one thing to draw me back to reality. If Momo was here she would describe a through, in depth explanation as to how well she played or how she was able to control her singing. I, on the other, could only say that it was beautiful. I wouldn't expect young kids who were so used to Char's cute, dance songs to enjoy her acoustic performance but they absolutely loved it. It captured everyone's attention instantaneous that the fear that Charlotte left was erased. I turned off the camera as Char winked to her sister.

* * *

We pulled up to the mall's back entrance. Judging from the opening it looked like this was the entrance that trucks mostly used. I looked around noticing that there were no fans around. That's probably why we had taken this route. We went through the back door of one of the clothing stores. Since this wasn't a normal concert arena we had a small tented area for her to get ready in. There were no thick walls letting me hear all the fans.

They were incredibly loud that I could feel the buzz from the all the sound. I held my chest filling with excitement. There was almost an image in my mind that one day people would be doing the same for me if I kept going. I glanced at Char relaxing on the couch. It looked like the kids really drained her out than I thought. She plugged in some earbuds, sleeping peacefully.

"Char-san!" A person in an event planner t-shirt can into the tent with sweat dripping down their forehead. I stood up catching their attention first.

"Char-chan is kind of resting right now. Is everything okay?"

"Not really, the manager of the mall says that this area is starting to reach its maximum capacity. That means that there are a few fans here that did not buy a ticket and are only here to see her perform. Usually that's okay but they're really filling this place up fast. It's not only a fire hazard but a safety hazard. If we don't think of something we may have to cancel the fan-meet."

"No!" I reeled myself back. I looked at Char who was still sleeping. Of course, we needed her to wake up so that we could think of a solution but at the same time, Char wasn't the type to slack off in the middle of her work. For her to be sleeping showed that she really tired. I couldn't find the will in me to disturb her sleeping. "I think that... we should leave her be until the event actually starts."

The worker was surprised. "Are you sure? The crowd is only going to get bigger."

"I know but for her to perform tired is even worse since she can mess up more. I'm her manager for the day so if you can leave it to me. Please. If things get out of hand, then I will get Char-chan myself." The worker was skeptical. They took a glance at Char sleeping and gave a sigh.

"Okay, then follow me." I nodded as we hurried through the halls. I stepped out, stopping in my tracks. The rows that were set up for Char's meeting were completely filled up. Not only that but the balconies on the higher levels had fans pushed against the railings. They didn't even seem to mind, too excited that the event was almost starting. At the back of my mind I could already picture people getting unintentionally hurt in the rush.

I wanted to run back to get Char. Instead I stood my ground trying to rack my brain for how I could help. As her manager, I had to be someone that she could rely on when times get tough. Even self-managed idols needed a bit of support here and there. I put my fingers in my ears to block out all the sound. 'What would Char-chan do in a time like this? What about Momo? Either of them could handle this with no problem. What can I do? We don't have time for me to understand them. Idols were meant to encourage people and be a role model for everyone to take after. I need to fix this my way. Nice and simple.'

"Watanabe-san, can you think of anything?" My fingers popped out of my ears hearing the worker's panicked voice.

"Do you have a mic that I could use? Something that could be heard over all this noise?" The worker nodded. They brought up a walkie-talkie, muttering that we needed a mic hooked to the speakers. Not even a minute passed when another worker came running to us. I took the mic giving a quick thanks as I ran up onto the stage. The crowd got louder thinking that the event was going to start.

"Good afternoon everyone! If you don't know me, I'm first year Starlight student, Watanabe Fumiko. I'll be in your care today. As I'm sure all of you know this is going to be the stage that Char-chan is going to take in a little bit but there's actually a small problem that's come up." The fans screams changed to worried murmurs. I became a little nervous, hoping that this was a good idea. "I want everyone to look around you."

They all listened to me turning their heads as much as they can for anything to stand out. "If you notice there's only fans here but no space left. Apparently, we're reaching the limit of allowed people that it's becoming really dangerous for everyone. Char-chan is very thankful that everyone has gathered to see her but not at the cost at someone getting hurt. So, anyone that doesn't have a ticket, we're sorry to say but you must leave in an orderly fashion. I know it's a bit unfair, but I have to remind you guys that Char-chan's career is still in its first steps. She's going to have many concerts that you guys will have a chance to see."

"I couldn't have said it better myself." I jumped as Char walked on to the stage. The fans screamed for making her wave at them. She stood beside myself bowing to the crowd first. I handed her the mic feeling relieved that she was awake. She patted my shoulder whispering into my ear. "Thanks for taking over manager."

I shook my head. "It was nothing. When did you wake up?"

"When your mic came onto the speakers. Pretty sure everyone in the mall heard you." She gave out a girly laugh, raising the mic up. "Everyone how are you guys today?!"

She received ground shaking screams, widening her smile. "I thank everyone for coming and we'll begin the fan meeting soon after everything settles down. Unfortunately, Fumiko-chan is right and we're causing trouble for the rest of the people shopping today. Do you guys understand what that means?"

A collective 'yes' rang out, some tones sadder than others. I noticed at the back of the space some people starting to move towards the exit. I smiled seeing that everything was working out. Char placed her hand on my back gesturing for us to get off stage for the time being. Char handed the mic back to the workers that stood on the sidelines.

The initial worker that trusted me, came up to me. "How'd you know that just asking would work?"

"Because they're fans of Char-chan. Any good fan would respect their idol's wishes. Fans would be sad, but I was sure that they loved her enough to not stress her out. At least that's why I wanted to let her sleep more. Personally, I don't think I fit the manager role so much. I was really scared to talk to all of them. I did it though because as an idol I wanted to make everyone happy." Char and the workers cracked a smile at me.

"Well thanks to you the crisis was adverted. We should prepare for your actual stage now Char-chan."

* * *

"You were a big help today Fumiko-chan." We sat in the car heading back to Starlight academy. After the fan meeting had finished we had offered to help with the cleanup. We then had to go up to the manager of the mall to apologize for the commotion that was caused. They were understanding to what happen and said that we shouldn't be apologizing. We had managed to control the crowd before anything bad occurred in the end.

"I didn't do much today. At the radio station you mostly talked and showed off a funny and welcoming side of you that is undermined by your cute image. I had a lot of fun with the daycare as well. Ayumi-chan and the rest of the kids were super cute and when you performed." My little fangirl heart stopped in the memory of her stunning singing voice.

"I'm glad you liked it. They're always looking for student volunteers just to give out a helping hand whenever if you ever want to go visit. Ayumi really liked you too."

"Really? I may just do that. I never even knew that you had a young sister."

"I don't mention Ayumi that often since there's not much about her. Every once in a while, it's just a smaller fact about me that doesn't change much of who I am." It was strange to see so many sides to her in one day. Momo was right. The way she worked was well rounded that she could hold conversations for an hour on a radio for all to hear without stuttering. She used some extra time to visit her younger sister who she probably didn't see much because she lived in the Charlotte Cottage. When trouble came, either during Charlotte's cameo or a surplus in fans, she carefully handled the situation. I wouldn't have thought much at the cute idol if I hadn't been her manager today.

We arrived back at the front gates. Like she mentioned at the beginning of the day, she was going to meet with Headmistress Aoi that we had to depart at the center of the school's ground. "It was fun today Char-chan. Just don't forget to look out for me when I start making it big."

"You still have a lot to learn Fumiko-chan. Take it one step at a time and I'm sure I'll notice you." She waved at me, walking into the main building. My happiness built up in me that I sprinted back to the female dorms. I threw open the doors causing Momo to jump and drop her pajamas onto the floor. I ran over to pick it off the floor, grabbing her hands in the process to shake them wildly.

"Would it be right to assume that you had fun today?" She pulled her hands back, putting her clothes onto her bed.

"Better than fun! Char-chan is really the Starlight Queen that I envision to be like. She's kind, mature yet cute and her singing is BEYOND words for me to think of. I even got a short video when she sang for her little sister's daycare. Did you know she has a little sister? If it wasn't for her hair and name I would have never guessed that they were related. She was so cute as well and when they got scared by Charlotte, she made the whole class laugh."

"I see you met Charlotte in person. How was that?" I shivered at the thought.

"I think that was the biggest curve ball today. I'm pretty sure if Ayumi-chan didn't do anything the kids would have started crying." She chuckled sitting down on her bed. I plotted myself next to her taking out my phone. I opened up my gallery, clicking on the recording I had of Char at the daycare. "Just listen to her."

Momo leaned closer to my side so that we could both get a clear view of Char. I watched from the corner of my eye as Momo was listening. Slowly as the song went on, she tilted her head looking closer at the screen. By the end her eyes were as wide as saucers. The video ended with the wink to Ayumi.

"Did you hear how she clear she was? No warm up or anything right after playing a game of tag with preschoolers. That's our queen right there!" She leaned back, blinking a few times at me.

"You didn't see it?" I pulled back my phone looking at the final image. I played the video again paying close attention to the scene.

"No?" I questioned. She slowly nodded as a large grin took over her face. "Momo? What's with the creepy smile? You okay there?"

"Do you remember what I said about the type of idol that I want to be like?" Her question scared me.

"You want to surpass your parents, so you're going to surprise people by going with the flow." She nodded walking over to her desk. I saw her taking out her idol binder flipping a few pages. I peered over her shoulder as she was reading through Char's profile.

"I have another surprise I want to try out."

* * *

Thank you to every follow, favourite, reviewer and reader.

Trivia: Céasire is from Miraculous Ladybug where the main character's best friend's last name is Céasire and I needed a French name and this one sounded the nicest in my head. Hayate comes from the manga Buddy Go! where the main cool, popular boy name is Hayate. He was the bases for the type of character that I wanted Céasire Hayate to be in my planning.

Dragonlover: First, thanks for saying you like my story. Second, I can see where you think that Hayate is overreacting, but I wanted to make him seem a bit childish at times because he's been in the modelling business for so long that he doesn't have a chance to act childish that often. With Shouta he has a chance to be a teenager that he wanted to spend more time with him by having him as his temporary manager. One more point is that Hayate essentially looks up to the two of them. Even though it was his first performance, it could still be discouraging to have your two idols point out a lot of flaws in your awaiting debut. That's kind of why he didn't want to speak with Shouta for a while. Sorry if it was an implied way of saying things.


	10. Queens

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS NOR THE TEXTBOOK PASSAGE USED

*For you by Fuuka

Momo's POV

I sat at my desk reviewing a Chemistry textbook that I found in the school library while Fumiko laid on her bed, playing on her phone. 'The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation expresses the H3O+ concentration in terms of the Ka for the ratio of concentrations of HA and A-. This equation was derived from the equilibrium constant, so the concentrations of HA and A- should be equilibrium values.'

"Momo look, there's another article on you and Shouta." Fumiko excitedly pointed out. I didn't bother looking at her, flipping to the next page.

"I don't know why you're still reading those. After two days, articles start to become repetitive in both analysis and commentary." I had my fair share of reviewed articles regarding our performance. Hundreds of journalists yet the most common thread would be the comment on how we were gutsy rookies both in a positive and negative way.

"Because it's proof that I was right. People are still talking about how you guys beat a bunch of second and third years in your first audition. Who wouldn't be impressed by you guys? It's not even just beating them! It's the fact that you guys did it together when the odds of being put into a pair were extremely low. I loved Shouta's song and your performance, that I can't help but to be proud of these articles. I mean just look at your idol's aura! It's so pretty! I'm not even sure when mine will appear." I rolled my eyes at her, trying not to show that I was equally happy with my aura.

I heard her playing the recording as her eyes were practically glued to the screen. One thing about auras was that it was difficult to see your own. According to the articles and our classmates mine was supposedly pretty and fitting my character. In my eyes I could only see Shouta's in the video which was as calming as always. It was amazing to see though since he wasn't performing yet was still visible through his work. It showed that I still had a long way to catch up to his skill.

"You would think that you'd show more concerned over your big day rather than fussing on me." Fumiko smiled remembering her task for tomorrow. Being Takahashi's manager gave her the advantage to get a small glimpse at behind the scenes that many don't really get in their first year.

"Hey Momo, how come Hayate has Rika but Char-chan is alone?"

"That's mostly because he's been in the business longer than her. Snapshot's been a model since he was six while this is only Takahashi-senpai's second year being an idol."

"Wait." Fumiko suddenly rolled to the side of her bed to sit up properly. "She is a second year. Does that mean that she became Queen in just one year?"

"That's why she's called the next Kanzaki Mizuki. The most interesting part I find is that unlike Kanzaki who had been a model in her elementary days and had training from Bepp-sensei, Takahashi-senpai had no experience prior to her entrance. Not much is known about her past in general. As far as anyone can interpret she was a normal girl that one day decided to be an idol."

"You can't say that. She's been on top of the charts since the beginning. I, myself, have almost every one of her covers downloaded. You don't get that kind of status just by one day deciding to be an idol. What about her split personality? Wouldn't it be hard for her to make friends? Wouldn't that also make it difficult for her to go to interviews? How do you think she does it?"

"You can ask her yourself. I know as much as you can find online. I do have to say that I've seen firsthand how hard she works to hold her title." I remembered to her orientation performance. The way she manipulated the stage to make it her own was remarkable. It honestly didn't matter if she got a manager since she seems to be handling everything well herself.

Even though Kanzaki had a manager herself, it was rare for younger idols to have a one. With schools and systems, managing and self-promoting was easier. Once they graduate is when managers are needed more either to help find jobs or time manage all events, depending on how popular the idol became.

Snapshot was right to have Rika since he was at a young age when he started and probably didn't know anything. Even mom had Aunty Kii and Aoi to help her out whenever she really needed it. Kanzaki was no different since she wasn't just an idol but was interested in all fields.

From what I assume her manager was mostly for the business contact but was respectfully towards Kanzaki's decision. She must have gone through a bit of stress with the pressure of up holding up Kanzaki's status. Especially since she had to tendency to disappear and reappear at random times. First as a child model to idol, then when she left Starlight, left Dream academy, creating WM, and finally her retirement.

More times than one it should have been difficult to watch over all of her actions. I closed my textbook thinking about how much Kanzaki had accomplished. I looked to Fumiko who seemed to be looking at facts about Char, sparking an idea to mind. If Fumiko was going to be studying Char then why don't I research more into the past Queens.

* * *

First up was the one that was hardest to get to. It was probably the best that I saw her first since it was probably more work to see her at the end of the day. The bus didn't go the entire way so I had to walk a bit more into the forest to reach her. If I hadn't visited her with mom before, I definitely would have gotten lost.

I made it through spotting the familiar house by the lake. I spared a glance at the little sign board that was no longer in use. I walked up the steps, knocking on the door. I had to wait a little while until the pregnant woman opened the door. "Oh Momo-chan, what a nice surprise."

"Morning Aunty Akari. Is now a good time to have talk with you?"

"Of course. Kuro went to a birthday party a little earlier so it'll be quiet. Actually, I just put little Fai down for a nap so is it okay if we talk out here?"

"Yeah, that's fine." She left the door opened a crack as I made my way to the bench on the porch. This place was peaceful that Aunty Akari and Sena had decided to live here even though his base of work was closer to urban life. Aunty Akari came to sit next to me, slowly lowering herself onto the bench. I hovered my hands behind her back just as an extra precaution.

"How many months are you in?"

"Around 2-3 left. Even though this is my third time it's still kind nerve wrecking to think that there's another child in me."

"Well you can always try and contact me if you want some help. I help Uncle Raichi with the twins every one in a while so I have a bit of experience with kids."

"That's very kind of you Momo-chan but you don't have to worry too much. I already got confirmation from work to get maternity leave. Tsubasa said that once it's born he's going to try to do work from home so that he'll be around if anything were to happen. Kuro is also use to taking care of Fai so there's no concern over his help. Besides, I heard that you're becoming a pretty newsworthy idol right now. I wouldn't want to disturb you."

I blushed hearing that she heard of my audition. "It was just an one audition."

"That's true but knowing you, you're probably going to continue to meet everyone's expectations. So how can I help you today?"

"I wanted to just hear you talk about your days as Queen. My roommate won the manager for the day for our queen so I wanted to look more into the past ones. Of course I could read and watch your interviews but I might as well learn from the person themselves."

"I remember the manager for the day audition." Aunty Akari had a fond look on her face reminiscing on the event. If I recalled properly Sumire was the one to win the audition but Aunty Akari had been caught by mom while trying to sneak a peek. Of course mom wasn't the queen at the time but Aunty Otome have given her the chance to mentor the younger years because she respected mom's status. She shook her head getting back on track.

"Right, my days on being Queen." Her lips moved side to side in thought. "It was exciting that was for sure but things kept moving at an incredible pace that I really wished that a camera was on me 24/7 so that I could revisit it. After I won was when we formed Cosmos, along with my solo promotions and Luminas when the school year finished, I almost couldn't believe that it was all over."

"That sounds kind of sad. Didn't you enjoy it?" She reassuringly shook her head at my statement.

"Don't take it the wrong way, I loved every part of it. Yes, it was busy but that was only one part that made it memorable." I tilted my head.

"I don't understand. From what you say, your schedule seems to strain you for time. That was the primary impetus for Cosmos's disband in the end. Overworking can lead to disturbed sleep patterns, stress on the mind on multiple levels, and has been shown to have an inimical effect on resulting products. By memorable I assume that you are trying to imply it was enjoyable. None of my listed results sound very enjoyable in any perspective."

Aunty Akari cracked a nervous smile. "I see that you haven't eased up on your studies. How do I explain this properly? Yes, all the facts you said about overworking are true, I can't deny that. I would be setting a bad example on you if I said that you were wrong. Yet I think that it was because I loved what I was doing that I didn't think much about time."

"That's illogical and dangerous." I stated bluntly.

"Yes it was. Trust me, I tell the same thing to Tsubasa before every fashion show. At the same time, as you continue your idol career you'll come to realize yourself that you'll get lost in time." She kept repeating that she enjoyed herself but I couldn't understand how overworking yourself was considered fun. To me, it sounded like her mind was sleep derived creating fake memories of joy. That was often the case with sleep derivation where the brain starts creating more hormones to keep the body working that it makes people happy or energized.

"Is that necessarily a good thing? Loosing track of time makes it more difficult to keep track of everything needed to be done."

"You need to loosen up a little Momo-chan. There's the saying that time flies when you're having fun. Don't you feel the same when you're reading your textbooks?" I thought a little to how I felt when I was studying. It started out as something to distract me from music that eventually expanded outside of school material. It was a nice break from what I was so use to.

"I guess there were some instances where I got caught up in learning." I met with Aunty Akari's eyes. They were a pair of clear pink eyes. Her aura of multiple hearts practically exploded out of them.

"Exactly. Right now you're in your beginning steps that you're still trying to make a name for yourself. That's fine too. But as you go on don't forget to take a second to smell the roses. Whether it be studying or Aikatsu, you'll eventually find yourself getting immersed. In truth, being Queen is nothing special by itself. It's only a title. What makes it special is knowing that you have so many people to support you through the rough. Fans, family and friends alike."

I sat in amazement of her. It was strange to look at her knowing most of her past and still seeing a new side of her. Aunty Akari was known as an inspiration to follow your dream for many people. Everyone knew how she started out as a clumsy idol that passed in favour of mom's passing. She used that as her stating point, increasing her ranking with each improvement. Actually hearing some advice from her was weird. I saw her as Aunty Akari but now in front of me was the idol Ozora Akari that eventually took on the mantel on inspiring many idols after her.

"May I ask another question?"

"Sure." I looked to her stomach that was showing the clear signs of life.

"I somewhat understand how much fun you had just by hearing you talk and from the past videos that I've watched. Like mom and grandma, you all look back at your time with this warm aura around each of you. Yet in the end, you all moved onto the next part of your life. I mean you, yourself, are expecting your third child. If you don't mind, do you ever wish that you can go back? Be an idol again?" She smiled gently, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Not really. One day, maybe we'll perform a Luminas reunion but nothing really more. You're right I do look back at everything in a favorable light. I wouldn't wish to go back though."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm happy where I am now. I'm married to a man that I love. This house use to be the place where he created dresses that I wore on stage. Now it's the home for my soon to be three children. I had many memorable moments. So now I'll continue to make more. I wouldn't trade where I am today for anything. It's up to new generation idols like you to continue the tradition."

I let of a weak chuckle. "That seems like a lot of pressure coming from you."

She reassuringly put her hand on mine. Aunty Akari, now, showed more of a motherly light rather than an idol. Her aura was always present but rather than feeling re-energized and excited like an idol on stage, I felt calm. As if I was back at my own home eating desserts with mom and dad.

"You'll get through it Momo-chan. You obviously know your own strengths and weakness; you just need to work on them."

"Like loosening up?" She laughed loudly making think that her hormones were really at work. From inside I heard a faint laughter coming from the house. No sooner, Fai came running out. He ran up to his mom without any shoes on. He bowed to me first then pulled himself onto the bench.

"How long were you awake, Fai-kun?" I asked the five-year-old replicate of the idol and designer.

"Mommy is no good at putting me to sleep. I've been awake the entire time, colouring in my room when I heard her laughing. What are we talking about?" Aunty Akari gave me an embarrassed smile.

"You should be sleeping not eavesdropping." She playfully ticked the boy. We both stood up, Aunty Akari ushering the boy off the bench. "I think I need to try to put him back to sleep. Sorry about this Momo-chan."

"It's alright. I have a few other people to visit as well so I need to catch the bus. Thank you for sparing some time for me." I bowed to the two of them, leaving them as I headed to the bus station.

* * *

"Momo-tan!" I stumbled backwards as I was tackled at the front door steps by a hyper active, orange hair woman. Probably the only thing that changed with her over the years is that her hair was only up to her shoulders nowadays.

"Otome-sama, you shouldn't attack Momo-sama like that." The pink hair, more mature one of the two, lightly chided.

"You should listen to Aunty Sakura, Aunty Otome." I patted her on the back, signalling her to release her from her bear hug. She took it well, hopping off me.

"Sorry, sorry. I was just surprised to see you here."

"Likewise. I was here to visit Aunty Sakura but this saves me some time as well since I was going to visit you later as well. I was just planning to see you after your daycare closed for the day. Why aren't you there anyways?" I questioned.

We were at the Kitaoji theater front gates. Since most of the performances were at night I figured it would be easier to meet Aunty Sakura beforehand. After she retried, her and her brother had taken up the family tradition in inheriting the theater together. With the mix of Aikatsu and a traditional performance, the two of them evolved the Kitaoji name into a completely unique display of acting.

What surprised me was that instead of my Aunty Sakura or her brother opening the door, it was Aunty Otome who first came out. True, her daycare wasn't too far from here but if I remembered correctly, it was still in working hours right now. I knew that Aunty Otome can be silly at times but she wasn't the type to slack off, especially considering that she was the owner.

"Oh don't worry about that. All the teachers kept telling me to take a lunch break as these two volunteers were scheduled to come in during recess and snack time. They even ensured me that since we were so close, they could run here if anything came up. Why did you want to meet us today?"

"Before that, please come in. We were just having some tea and snacks if you'd like." Aunty Sakura suggested. I nodded following the two women inside. Sometimes I forgot that Aunty Sakura was from such a successful family. A house basically triple the size of our bento shop, accompanied with a full garden and more.

We went inside one of the rooms where a few cakes and drinks had been set up in a traditional manner. I took a seat on the pillow, instantly reaching for a pink macaron, "I see your sweet tooth hasn't aged yet. Like mother, like daughter."

Aunty Otome commented as she took her seat from before. I smiled taking a bite out of it. With the trip to Aunty Akari leading into the forest and out, I really craved for something sweet. Not that I don't always craved for sweets. Aunty Sakura took her seat, pouring me a cup of warm tea.

"So how can we help you today?" I gratefully accepted it, placing it down first.

"I'm studying up a bit more on the past queens. Many people know about it as being the top title at Starlight, yet there's things happening behind the scenes that people aren't aware of. I just wanted to hear what you guys have to say about your experiences." Aunty Otome took a bite of one of her cakes.

"Hmm When you ask like that I can't really single anything out. The time I won was really special then all of a sudden DreAca popped out of no where. Sora-tan and Marie-tan really brought on some competition that I had to really up my game. Not just as the representative of the school but for myself as well. In the end, everyone there was really nice and we all became good friends." I nodded, following the familiar story.

"My story isn't as dramatic as Otome-sama's. I remember being really nervous before the Queen's cup, that's for sure. People kept saying that because I was in PowaPowaPurin that I was practically going to win. If I didn't, I would have felt like I let everyone down by not meeting their expectations. When they announced my name it was..." She cut herself off as a light shined down on her. I let out a small smile, seeing this old tradition. "Itttt wasss nothinggg likeeee I'veeeeee felttt beforeeee."

I heard the well known wooden block clap as she snapped out of Kitaoji theater light. We both applauded her as she returned back to reality. She smiled at me taking a sip of her tea as if nothing happen. "And that's it. Unfortunately, I won in my third year so it didn't last too long."

Similar to Aunty Akari the two of them were smiling brightly at their memories. "You know, earlier I went to talk to Aunty Akari. She mentioned that it was a lot of work but that she got through it with the support of everyone around her. Do you guys feel that way? That all of your hard work was rewarded when you were on stage?"

"Definitely. That was always a bonus to Aikatsu. It was like that before coming queen as well. Something I won't forget is my time with Mizuki-sama and everyone else as Star-Anis. Even more so, my time in PowaPowaPurin."The two of them made eye contact.

"Sakura-tan and Akari-tan are right. I'm sure if you ask any other idol, they would reply the same way. How do you feel about Aikatsu right now?"

"Me?" I took a second until I could think of an answer. "I don't know yet. There's still a lot that I don't even understand about myself, let alone how I feel about something as big as Aikatsu."

"Well what about that songwriter that you took your auditions with? How do you feel about him?" I was caught off guard with the random mention of Shouta.

"Shouta-kun? He's a bit of 'afraidy' cat if I'm being completely honest. But I guess I do like being around him. He understands me more than other people do and he's a hard worker. Is that the answer you're looking for?" The two of them chuckled at me. I looked between the two of them wondering what was so funny.

"It's amazing how you resemble your dad, eat like your mom but is still have your own character. Momo-tan do you consider him your friend?"

"Yes? I've never formally asked him but I don't recall him ever denying me of calling him one. I should probably ask him the next time I see him." They full burst out laughing, confusing me even more. I took one of the butter cookies, snapping it in my mouth as they calmed down.

"I'm sorry Momo-sama but it's really a mystery how you have the intelligence of a university student yet still don't understand things that elementary students get. I don't think you need to ask Song writer-sama for permission. Everyone already gets that you guys are close so I think if he has a problem with you, he would have said something by now. I think what Otome-sama was trying to figure out was how your Aikatsu was going so far."

"I'm just starting. Nothing big really has happen yet." I shrugged my shoulders in a nonchalant manner.

"Yet from what I remember from last Christmas, I asked you what you got your friends and you bluntly told me that you didn't have any." I avoided eye contact remembering how shocked everyone in the room was at the time. "You say nothing big, I say that young Momo-sama is finally growing out into the world. Wasn't it Aikatsu that allowed you the opportunity to make friends others?"

They both smiled at me, Aunty Otome having a crumb of cake on the corner of her mouth. I brought up a napkin to clean it off. She patted me on the head in thanks. "You really matured at a young age Momo-tan but I think Aikatsu will do well for you. I saw your audition. Both of them. Momo-tan was really really sparkly during the second one. Your aura was surrounding you that it was super pretty. I think it was because of Shouta-tan's song that made you like that."

I felt a soft smile on my lips. "I really am grateful that I was able to sing such a beautiful song for my debut. And I see where you're going with how Aikatsu is affecting me. I even managed to become comfortable with my roommate who is completely different from me."

The two of them had a proud look on there faces. "I, personally, don't have many interesting stories that you're looking for. I have many funny and touching stories that I'll always hold dear. Ones that molded me to be a better queen or idol, in specific, not really. I think what helped me was just continuing my work. I'm sorry if it's not exactly what you wanted."

"Same with me. Akari-sama would surely say the same thing as well. Just cherish the time that you spent with your friends as idols and that's all you need. You didn't have to go out and ask each of us for some advice. You'll be fine."

Their two auras flowed out of them filling the room with pink and orange lights. I stopped chewing on my biscuit looking at they way they looked at me. Two- thirds of PowaPowaPurin that shook the world with their sudden formation. The group that didn't have as many big, serious promotions but the group that was known for their welcoming personality. They were amazing with the way they worked, giving off a feeling that you could talk to them about any concerns.

Talking with the three queens today, didn't get me the answers that I wanted on the insider look but was enough to convince me that Aikatsu was really an amazing thing. Three different people, met with millions, inspired even more, not because they became the top. The only reason to claim was due to them having fun with something they loved. There may have been times where they were required to take on more responsibility but I doubt that they suffered for long when all they showed was a proud look in their eyes.

I stood up, brushing my pants clean of any wrinkles. "Thank you. If you don't mind I just have one more place that I have to visit."

"Are you going to see Risa-tan next?"

"I wish but buying a ticket that far is a bit extreme. I have another place in mind."

* * *

I inspected the stone walls of the building surrounding me. This place was well kept up, even having the proper tilling for a sound proof ceiling. The place was empty for now but once the sun sets this becomes one of the most popular underground party ground.

I looked up at the stage lights seeing that the positions were directed it towards where the band instruments should be. Most likely, there was going to be a full band tonight. Most unknown bands and singers would come here just to express themselves in front of random audiences that happen to come in.

"Strange to see someone here so early. How can I help you out little missy?" I turned to the middle aged man that came through the back doors. I bowed to him first.

"I'm sorry to come in uninvited, the door was open so I thought I could take a look around. I'm Suzukawa Momo from Starlight Academy." I showed off my school id tag on my bag so that he could verify it from where he was.

"Ah I knew you looked familiar." He took the small stairs to stand on the stage then sat down on the edge. "Not many idols come here. Especially not younger ones. This place is for free floating butterflies, as we like to say."

"I know. I've heard about this place before. I wanted to see it once before heading back to campus. This is where Kanzaki Mizuki made her triumph return after leaving Starlight, is it not?" He rubbed his gray stubble chin.

"Ah so that's why you're here. A fan?" I tilted my head side to side.

"I know much about her. A fan might be a bit of an exaggeration in my eyes." I walked closer, standing in front of him, placing my bag on the floor.

"Then why check out this old man's place if you don't consider yourself a fan? A weird place to go exploring if I say so. Most idols like to stick to more formal events."

"Like you said, this is a place for free floating butterflies. I just wanted to feel it for myself on why she chose this place. Kanzaki was never enclosed with the idol image in the end. Performing here was just another start for her, I find."

"You got that right. I remember when her and her manager came in here."

"You met them?"

"Darn right I did. Owned this place for over 20 years now. They both came in one day and asked if she could make her comeback here. Cours' I knew who she was, and asked why she wanted here. Said she liked the vibe this place giving off." I was amused at his use of slang. Different from other venue owners that tried to remain professional when talking to people in their establishment.

"Well I can understand why. It's quite the unique place. Not exactly a great place at first glance but I can tell your 20 years were well spent in making it flourish."

"You don't say? What makes you say that?"

"Walls that look broken down, made from concrete with barely to little decoration to uplift the atmosphere. However, there was no expense wasted in covering the walls in proper sound quality fabric and tiling to create the proper acoustic waves. My favourite part would have to be this stage though. Close to the audience, not too high with the perfect lighting positions and spacing for possible movement or changes. Little things that effect the overall performance. Only someone that looks closely at their patrons could develop everything that it needs. "

The man clapped his hand, giving out a hefty laugh. It seems that I'm quite the joker today making people laugh. He slapped his hand on the stage, jumping off. "I like you girly. How about you perform tonight? There's a band downstairs that's pretty flexible. Sure they can find a song for you to sing with. Why just look at the stage when you get the chance to perform on it yourself?"

I bit my lip, looking around. Only the drum and keyboard were on stage but three stands for guitars. I then looked at the size of the place. It wasn't too large, from rough calculations maximum capacity 150 people. "If you don't mind then, I'd love to meet them."

He cheered loudly as I grabbed my bag, following him backstage. The band consisted of a drummer, pianist, two basses and a lead guitarist. All of them looking like they were in their early twenties. The manager quickly gave them a run down of our conversation, asking if I could perform with them. They were just as he said and gave me the okay. The one holding drum sticks pointed over to the music scores they had telling me to pick one.

I shuffled through the whole list having many known names in it, including some of More Than True's music in it. After going through it a few times I had picked out the one that I thought was perfect for this occasion. The band smiled seeing my choice saying that they see why the old man liked me.

* * *

I felt the buzz of their strong playing as I cheered in the crowd. The place was almost completely filled with a wide range of people that it was difficult to categorize everyone. No one cared about status here that this unknown band were practically famous by the sounds of the applause.

"Alright everyone! How was that first song?!" The drummer and most likely leader yelled out. They got a positive response that instantaneously brought a smile on my face seeing so many people hyped up. "Well it's going to get even more fired up as we brought in a special guest!"

I took that as my cue, walking onto the stage. Feeling the hot stage lights on me, hearing the heavy breathing of the band members behind only left me to feel that I was walking in dad's shoes for the first time. One of the bass players put their hand on my shoulder, talking into the main microphone.

"This little girl is a first year idol at Starlight who has offered to take on quite the challenge. Regulars here might know that we have a few fan favourites. So today we have her taking on ' _For You_ ' by rock idol Otoshiro Seira. And here's the real kicker! She's even requested that she do this on a one take! So this will be the first time you guys and even us are going to hear her sing this! Everyone ready?!"

They screamed loudly as the bassist went back into their spot. I grabbed the mic on the stand looking at everyone. I met with the eyes with the band members giving them a silent nod to show that I was ready. The drummer started us off with the beating of the sticks. They started with their heavy, fast playing. Everything was well balanced, even hearing the underlying keyboard playing underneath the loud drums. I bobbed my head to the beat bringing the mic close to me.

 _mae o mukenai kurai hitori de kakaekonde_ I saw the faces of the audience gasping at me.

 _ashidori datte omoinda soredemo sa going my way_

 _mada owattenai tte nanchatte_ Slowly their faces of amazement turned into excitement

 _kon nan ja mou dou shitainda?_

 _futashika na kotae sagashiteru_

 _jibun o damasezu ni tsuyogari dake o matotte_

 _muri shite waratteita_

 _asu wa konai kamoshirenai_

 _boku datte inai kamo shirenai_

 _saa ima_ I ripped the mic off the stand causing everyone to scream. I held the stand in one hand, pushing it away from me.

 _mou sarakedashite icchaeba ii_ I gave a side glance to the members beside me seeing them grin at me keeping up.

 _kono mune no shinsou o kakidashite singing…_

 _sou omoi o tsutaeyou_

 _aseranaide sekashiteru_

 _sou tachidomatte hashitteru_

 _mou zenbu koutei shiteikou_

 _kimi to mirai o egaku tame ni_

The band continue to play as I finished. Compared to Aikatsu that would require me to dance this was purely based on my singing abilities. I poured my desires to continue Aikatsu even if right now was still confusing. That's all I thought.

I grinned widely hearing them all shout out compliments. The band members came up to me, each giving a high five or ruffling my hair. "Say something to the crowd!" One the members told me. I nodded looking to the audience.

"Hello everyone, my name is Suzukawa Momo of Starlight Academy. Thank you for having me come out today." They yelled out more words of encouragement.

"So formal! Are you really the same person just singing now?" The lead guitarist joked. I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck feeling a bit of sweat on it. "Hey if you ever want to perform with us again, come back any time."

"I would very much like that."

* * *

'Shouta-kun, are we friends?' I texted the boy once I got back to the dorms. He immediately responded with a nervous cat emoji hiding it's face.

'Are we not? Have I been misinterpreting something? I'm sorry if I did anything that bothered you. I understand if you find me annoying. I'm sorry.' I chuckled at his character still coming out in text form.

'No it's fine. I just wanted to make sure that I was understanding everything.'

'Sooooo we're okay?'

'Yeah. I'll see you in class tomorrow.' I turned off the screen, putting the Aikatsu phone on my bed. I gathered up my things needed for a shower in preparation for bed.

Fumiko suddenly threw open the door, rushing over to me. She grabbed my hands shaking them and in result my entire body. I lost hold of my clothes having them fall to the ground.

"Would it be right to assume that you had fun today?" I pulled my hands back, picking up my clothes. Judging from her bouncing feet I could tell that she wanted to tell me about her day.

"Better than fun! Char-chan is really the Starlight Queen that I envision to be like. She's kind, mature yet cute and her singing is BEYOND words for me to think of. I even got a short video when she sang for her little sister's daycare. Did you know she has a little sister? If it wasn't for her hair and name I would have never guessed that they were related. She was so cute as well and when they got scared by Charlotte, she made the whole class laugh." She rambled on.

"I see you met Charlotte in person. How was that?" Fumiko visibly shivered at what I presume was Charlotte.

"I think that was the biggest curve ball today. I'm pretty sure if Ayumi-chan didn't do anything the kids would have started crying." I gave out a small laugh, as I placed my clothes on my lap, taking a seat on my bed. She sat beside me opening up her phone.

"Just listen to her." I leaned in closer to get a better view of the video taken. I watched the way her body paced back and forth so that she could reach the upper and lower keys. Too bad the piano headboard made it impossible to see the way her fingers moved. It seemed like her fingers were familiar with the melody, having no difficultly with the smaller keyboard.

When I brought my eyes up to her face I was confused. I tilted my head to see if it was just the lightning but it wasn't. My eyes grew in size realizing what Fumiko had failed to mention. By the end of the clip I felt my breath taken away by her performance.

"Did you hear how she clear she was? No warm up or anything right after playing a game of tag with preschoolers. That's our queen right there!" I retraced myself to look at how Fumiko gushed over her. I waited a few seconds when she didn't comment further on what we just witnessed.

"You didn't see it?" Her eyebrows furrowed looking at her phone again.

"No?" She said, unsure with her answer. I couldn't control my grin as I thought of what I could be doing next. "Momo? What's with the creepy smile? You okay there?"

"Do you remember what I said about the type of idol that I want to be like?" Fumiko lean back, doing a quick scan over me.

"You want to surpass your parents, so you're going to surprise people by going with the flow." I nodded, walking over to my bag. I took out my idol profile binder opening it to Char's pages.

"I have another surprise I want to try out."

* * *

"Momo, what are you thinking? This is the second year sections. You've been freaking me out since last night." I ignored Fumiko as I had plenty of time until classes started. There was, also, no rule that prohibited us from being here.

I walked up to one of the classrooms, knocking on the door. One of the upper years opened the door. "Oh Suzukawa-chan, good morning. Is there something you need?"

"Good morning. I was looking for Takahashi-senpai. Is it possible that I could speak with her?" The upper year looked in the room at Takahashi sitting with a few people surrounding her. They called her over to which she eagerly come.

"Momo-chan, Fumiko-chan, how can I help you two?" From the corner of my eye I could see Fumiko blandly pointing that this was all my idea.

"Actually I was hoping that I could discuss a possible performance with me. Fumiko showed me a video of you and-" I was cut off with her raising her hand.

"I'm sorry Momo-chan but I have to decline. I know that you're a great singer and I admire your boldness but I don't think I can just do a duet like this. It would be unfair to everyone else and it would be strange if I randomly just sing with you. Do you understand?" I nodded, raising my hand.

"I understand where you're coming from. Unfortunately, you didn't let me finished." Fumiko and Takahashi both looked equally confused.

"Then please continue." She offered. Fumiko looked frighten as she continued to deny any association that she was related to any of my planning. Even if she wasn't aware of what I was doing.

"I don't want to perform with Char-chan. I want to perform with Charlotte." There was a cold chill that snaked its way into the hallways as Takahashi's eyes switched colours.

* * *

Trivia: Takahashi was a random last name. Charlotte was thought of from the anime Charlotte. When I thought of having Charlotte's character design to be cold, I was looking up random images when I saw the poster for Charlotte and it was really pretty and the name stuck with me. The nickname Char comes from Kishuku no Juliet where one of the characters has the same nickname.

Aipom4: I'm glad you were okay with me using your pen-name since I wasn't sure how you and the others would react. I did put in the disclaimer that I didn't own them either. Good thing you liked the chapter too.

Guest: Thank you, I'm just no good at writing in third person so it ends up in the character perspectives. I want to do one for Hayate as well but it'll be a long time before I can think of one.


	11. Duets

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED

*Yakusoku no Kizuna by anime: Over the Boundary

Momo's POV

I glanced into the classroom, hearing all the students going silent. I looked back Takahashi's navy blue eyes. They were just as sharp and cutting as I remembered. She stared at me unblinkingly. She leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know well about you Suzukawa Momo. You aren't the type to suddenly propose a duet without a reason. I highly doubt that it's because of some video that Watanabe showed you nor the fact that I'm the queen."

"It's exactly that though. You love music, don't you?" She gave me a once over from the feet up.

"Denied." With that she shut the door in my face. I tilted my head at the closed door.

"Perhaps I should try again when I have time to talk more into detail." I turned on my heel, heading to class. Fumiko snapped out of her fear to run up to me.

"How about no? What were you thinking? You didn't just ask the queen to perform a duet with you. You asked Charlotte! Takahashi Charlotte! Are you crazy? Even the other upper classmates couldn't believe themselves. Do you know why? It's because not even them, or the third years, think to ask her. Do you realize what you're doing?" I causally leaned away from Fumiko's worried rambling.

"Of course I do. I've stated what I desired with my own mouth. You are even going through the effort to repeat back the last few seconds to me." She fumbled over her words, not believing in the audacity that I had. She suddenly grabbed my arm, dragging me to class. She pulled me in front of Shouta and mine's desk.

"Shouta, tell Momo that's crazy. No questions, just tell her." Shouta looked up at me with wide eyes.

"You're crazy?" He said slowly. I chuckled, taking my seat next to him.

"She's fussing over nothing." Fumiko fake coughed in shock.

"Nothing? Nothing?! You want to know what Momo did? She went up to the second year floor and asked for Char-chan. Then she had the craziest idea to ask for a duet. But it doesn't stop there as she asked Charlotte for a duet. Word of advice. Never show this girl a video. She ends up losing her mind." I took out my stuff out of my bag.

"We should work on expanding your vocabulary. You've used crazy too much." Fumiko lost the strength to continue, falling to her knees, resting her forehead on our desk. Shouta looked between the two of us, not too sure on what to do.

"D-did you actually try talking to Takahashi-senpai?" I nodded. Making him shiver a little. "Why?"

"Because she loves music." I said confidently. He cocked his head a little, meeting with my eyes.

"You hear that? That's the exact same thing that she said to Char-chan when she questioned her. Do you understand that?"

"I do." The corners of my mouth went up at his answer. "Momo-san, might be in over her head for this one but she knows good music. If she says that Takahashi-senpai loves her music, then it must have shown enough to spark an interest in her. I'm going to put my money on that. That's what got her into me after all."

I smirked seeing him like this. "Well there you have it Fumiko. If Shouta-kun says I'm fine then that's that."

She groaned at us. "I really wish you guys weren't so in touch. It's creepy that you guys read each other's minds."

"He can't read my mind. He merely understands that I don't act rash. My reasoning is just my way of advancing forward. Which may seem strange to you, whose emotions is your main driver." I fetched my things out of my bag. My head snapped up noticing a few of classmates staring at us. The other two picked up on it, scanning the room as to why everything was so silent.

"What's the matter guys?" Fumiko asked bluntly. One of the boys jolted almost like he was snapping out of a trance.

"W-well we couldn't help overhearing your conversation. Did Suzukawa-san actually ask Char-senpai for a duet?" I nodded in response. They all gave a collective gasp, a few leaning in forward to our group.

"A-and? W-what did she say? Are you guys going to perform together? Cuz' that would be awesome. Do you think we have a chance too?" Fumiko shook her head at them, disappointing.

"Do you guys even realize who we're talking about? Char-chan! The Starlight Queen! The second Kanzaki Mizuki-chan. Do you really think that any of us have a chance to sing with her? Especially on something as silly as a request? We would need to win in some amazing audition for that to happen. So no Momo is not performing with her."

"A simple no would have sufficed." I countered. The rest of my classmates resumed their actions with the quiet murmurs of agreeing that I was foolish for trying. That there was no way that any of them had a chance if I didn't.

"See I told you that it was reckless. Even our classmates know their boundaries."

"I do as well. In fact, this form of backing up your statement has only proved that I want to work with her even more. I want to hear her music even more. You've even inspired a new tactic, so thanks for that." I could see from my peripheral view at Shouta shrugging his shoulders to her. She dropped her head going to her seat in defeat.

"Hey Momo-san? You know you kind of have that look on your face of when you were searching for me. Kind of an intrigued image." I raised my hand to feel my face. That didn't really help me to picture what kind of facial expression I was giving.

"I guess you could say that. It really does feel the same. Aikatsu is filled with interesting people. You and Takahashi-senpai alike." I remembered the feeling when I had given my hand to Shouta upon our meeting. That feeling that we were willingly going to try to be idols. "I want to hear more. Why do you song-write? Why does she sing?"

* * *

I sat by the bench out in the courtyard. The reason? This was the direct pathway that anyone can get to the Charlotte Cottage. I could have stood outside the gate but that would have been too extreme. Instead I choose to wait for her to finish her schedule. It wasn't too bad as it gave me some time to do some homework and research more about her as I waited.

From her enrollment she has topped the charts. Record labels had already stared to scout her as a potential artist under them. All were turned down at site. She claimed that she had planned to enjoy her time in school as much as she can before thinking about any long term deals. There were a constant stream of articles revolving around her strange antics and accomplishments.

That she would remain the cute idol that people envisioned her to be but would still have key chains representing both stuffed animals and rock-metal bands. That while claiming to be close to her family, no one knows any facts about them. There were barely any pictures of her going out in public. The greatest one being that there was nothing regarding her past.

No past friends or spoken memories that she reflected on. Most people theorize that it was due to Charlotte that there was a range between a few of her actions and image. Though it was never a discussed topic in interviews. No one was actually interested in Charlotte. Only in the way to find what the difference was for the two. Not really in the sense of her personality to establish interview questions. I was practically doing the opposite by proposing a duet with Charlotte above Char. Not that my classmates bothered to question further.

I stood up seeing my target approach me. With one look, she sped up her walk to clearly avoid me. She ignored me, brushing past. "Wait Charlotte-senpai. I'm only here to reason with you."

I continued to walk by her side, trying to match her pace. "I don't need you to reason for yourself. I have no reason to participate with you in a duet."

"I'm not afraid of you Charlotte-senpai." Was all I said to make her stop walking. She kept her back to me, not moving to try and face me. I went to stand in front of her. "This morning you said you knew me. I rebuttal that. The only way for idols to truly get known is through auditions. I've only participated in one so far. You only know of me. Not enough to reject me."

Her eyes twitched seemingly as if she was holding back a glare. "Then what do you suggest?"

"Pick an audition. Any of them. Assess me base on that. You already know about my music abilities so you're free to choose to fit one that can fit your criteria."

"You're not going to give up are you?"

"I think you don't want me to. I'm bad with reading and understanding people but I know that if you truly didn't want to you then wouldn't have stopped walking. It could have been what I said or the fact that you've wanted to hear more from me. You're still listening to me. That's all I needed to see to continue." She sighed taking out her Aikatsu phone. Her finger scrolled quickly.

"How about this one? I was offered it this morning but I'll back out if you try for it." She flashed the screen to me. I skimmed the contents noticing two things. One. The bright colours showed that the audition would require me to be more energetic and 'cutesy'. Two. It was a partner type of audition.

"Is there a problem?" She was really pushing me to the limits with this. From my one audition she could tell the basis of my personality that this was outside of my comfort zone. My cool image didn't fit the theme nor did my lack of relationships help with the needed partner component.

"No. I was just inspecting the contents. An audition to become possible game helpers. A stimulating choice, I must say. It's a strange concept to me, not to say that I won't go for it." She nodded putting her phone back in her pocket.

"Then I look forward to your audition." I bowed to her, letting her past by me. I checked my phone as she had sent me the link to all the details. I scrolled through the small clips of their work. A video game developer was seeking for two dancer models to be the silhouettes in the dancing machine games. Not too hard but focused more on how precise it was, along with the energy to get players interested in the game.

Even through my extensive musical sense, I couldn't get through with purely that. I would have to stand out in some way that would make them even look my way. And judging from the participant count so far, I had about 15 pairs to compete within nine days.

* * *

"Please Fumiko! You're the only one I could ask and you know that." I was basically begging Fumiko to audition with me, the moment she came back from her daily night run. When she would probably be too tired to leave slash ignore me.

"No way. I'm not going to help you embarrass yourself. If you don't fit the image then you shouldn't have agreed with her, especially since you need a partner."

"Well that's exactly why she picked it. If I'm going to want to perform a duet with her then I would have to match to her. Yet I can't do that if all people know about me is the brash singer that went to a second year audition. Besides, this will be a great opportunity for you to get out there as well. People are already watching you after winning Charlotte-senpai's manager for the day. There's a saying that you have to strike the iron while it's still hot?"

"Yes, but you've also told me that I should take a break every once in while. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. Being her manager just showed me that she and I are on wayyyy different levels. We're only a month old idols. Can't you collaborate in later years when you actually have a shot? It wouldn't have changed anything. It's not like she's going to lose the title any time soon."

"Not an option. I can't wait that long to hear her reasons. I even started singing in the middle of the plaza to catch Shouta-kun's attention, the first time that we met. Charlotte-senpai is the same." She looked at me with skepticism.

"You did _not_ just say that Shouta is the same as Char-chan. Do you realize how opposite they are on a spectrum from one another? Here's a hint. One of is the shyest person I've ever met in my life and the other is _the_ Char-chan."

"You keep saying Char-chan this and Char-chan that. Not once did you refer to her as Charlotte. Did you realize that?" Fumiko mouth opened a bit before finding the right words.

"T-they're the same person in a way. Does it really matter how I refer to her?" Her confused emotions towards me simmered down at the question.

"Yes it does. Unlike our classmates, you were there when I asked. They're two distinct people. That's how split personality works. In both ways they are the same but not. You shouldn't deny that." Fumiko slowly tilted her head.

"Why are you being so defensive about it? I mean, I get that they are separate but don't you think that you're trying too hard to separate the two?"

"Not really. If they're different then treat them differently. It's simple. From what I see, not many people pay attention to Charlotte. Majority of the people already separated the two yet they're treated the same if it's Char that's standing center." And that leaves Charlotte in the shadows. I read my Aikatsu phone about the details regarding the audition.

"You're really going for this?" I nodded, meeting with her eyes. She puffed out her cheeks a little, dropping her head. "Fine. I'll be your partner."

I immediately smiled, grabbing a few magazines out of my bag. I placed them on my desk spreading them out. "Great! Now these are most of the resources that I was able to pull on such a short amount of time, minus online sites. Established in 2010 the company's CEO had a ch-"

She shook her head, placing her hand on the spread out. "Woah woah girl. Slow your roll. You've trained me before. This ain't gonna work with stats and a history lesson."

I blinked a couple of times, reeling back my memories. "Oh yeah. I guess its a bit distant now that we're actually working together."

She piled up my magazines into one stack and pushed them to the side. "If I'm the one that fits the audition better then I'm going to be leading this time. Meaning no books, no researching a bunch of useless facts, and defiantly no studying. That's not even an choice in my brain."

My mind went flat at the idea that I couldn't study. I always prepared by knowing all that I could. Even for my tests at my old school, I would study the entire textbook even if the teacher said it was only on a specific chapter set. I was already wanting to deny this plan. It was too headless. I was going to be a headless chicken if I was going in without more information than what I had.

"Then what if I study by myself and I just keep it to myself. I won't force you to learn it." I offered in an attempt to negotiate.

"Okay? As long as I don't need to learn it than I guess it's fine? But I'm going to be in charge of our training. You're too stiff. An idol's smile is everything and I barely ever see you do it. We gotta work on that."

"What do you mean? I smile." Fumiko waved her finger in front of me.

"Not enough. Try right now." The muscles of my mouth pointed the corners upwards. "See that's what I mean. Too force."

"Well it's in an abnormal nature to be able to stimulate your zygomaticus major and minor for the sake of it without showing it being fabricated." She face palmed herself, dramatically falling to her back onto her bed.

"This is going to be harder than I thought." 'You and me both.'

* * *

"Come on Momo! Come out!" Fumiko impatiently called to me. I peaked out behind the curtain to the dressing room.

"Explain once more what exactly we're doing." She sighed pulling the curtain open. Without giving me time she puled me out. I shyly covered my face not being used to in this kind of position. 'Now I know how Shouta-kun feels half the time.'

"Ugh for the thousandths time, we have to get you more pumped up. A new look can do that." I took a glimpse at the mirror at me standing in the turquoise, knee high dress. Of course I could wear the coords that I needed on stage but that was on stage. This was too bright of a colour for my personal liking. Not to mention the sparkles decorating the bottom hem and the bow around my waist was attracting too much attention.

"And like I've said, I don't understand what you mean by 'pump up'. These two situations and the common use of pump does not seem to apply."

"What she means to say is that you need to get some form of motivation. Here, this will complete the outfit." Snapshot came by, handing me a grey crop jacket, which I gratefully took. I quickly threw it on finding that it was right to trust him with my outfit for today.

"Hayato, I was hoping for something cuter. Something like, not to be typical, but maybe pink or frillier." Fumiko scanned over my outfit, not satisfied with his ideas.

"Momo-chan is cute enough as it is. Besides, models make the clothes not the other way around. Dressing her in pink, frilly clothing wouldn't fit her if she isn't comfortable. It would be out of place." His phone buzzed in his pocket making him check his messages. "I should get going. Rika-chan is waiting for me. Have fun, ladies."

We waved each off, thanking him for taking some time out of his schedule to help us. I shiver at the idea of what Fumiko would have done to me without him. "I wish he wasn't so good at his job cuz' this really suits you."

"He wouldn't be a very good model if he couldn't have an input on his work. I have to admit that bright colours are not usually in my style but this jacket does help with that." I picked up my bag with my original clothes, walking over to the cashier to purchase the outfit.

"Yeah, right? I know you hate to hear this but sometimes I really doubt that you're Ichigo-chan's daughter. If it wasn't for Suzukawa-sensei, I would have seriously questioned where you get your sense of fashion." I playfully rolled my eyes at her.

"I don't really understand what happen either. I did spend more time with Mom than I did Dad. I guess rocker style was a bit more comfortable. Even Amahane-san was shocked when I didn't let her dress me up as a child." I handed the cashier some cash, thanking the cashier before heading out.

"It's weird that you can call Amahane-san so casually. She was Angely Sugar's top designer and one of the biggest influences in cute fashion for years. Even before your mom's era." We walked out of the store having Fumiko take the lead on our agenda today.

"I've known her my entire life. Formalities slipped by me at this point. Even calling Dad and Aunty Aoi by title in school is weird."

"Yeah, why do you do that? Everyone knows about your relationship with them. It wouldn't really make a difference if you call Suzukawa-sensei dad."

"Even if people are aware of it, I don't want the idea of me free riding my way. No one has called myself out for it and I have to maintain that. I'm formal with them when others around, simply because I want to enforce the idea of me being separate from them. I'm going to be the top idol without any special help. And one thing I want to do is perform a stage with Charlotte. Which is why I'm bringing back the topic as to, where are we going?"

"Patience young grasshopper." She said in a raspy tone.

"Why are you calling me a grasshopper? And young for that matter. We're the same age. In fact, your birthday is later than mine. So in reality, you are the 'young one'. Or grasshopper, if you wish to use?" She hesitantly raised her hand.

"N-no, it's suppose to be- you know what- never mind. It's nothing. We are going to... Drumroll please." I continued walking, while watching her.

"You want me to imitate the sound of a drum? For what reason?" Her excitement drained out of her, shaking her head.

"For anticipation. Haven't you ever heard that sound effect in shows? Especially when big news was being announced? Like who's the winner of the audition slash competition is?"

"I have but I didn't know that people ask for it in real life as well. Is that a common thing to request?"

"Yes it is. Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to my grandma. See, this is exactly why I'm taking you to the arcade for the day." She dropped the mystery revolving around our destination, not having anymore fun with playing with me.

"The arcade?"

"You know the place that mainly teenagers and other people-" I cut her off.

"I know what an arcade is and I know that our audition is for game development but it doesn't make sense to actually go inside one. Not only did you waste our week with nothing, you dress me up only to bring me to a dark, loud place with screaming people. It's similar to a club but with the goal of beating a machine in exchange for a prize. I don't understand the fun in that."

"I doubt you even went inside one." I stayed silent not having any personal proof that could deny that. "Exactly. It's the weekend. If we trained this week you would have ruined everything with your stuck up attitude. So we're going to get in touch with your fun side and then we'll do all the dance and singing preparation for the three days. How's that? I can be pretty smart sometimes. That's why I'm in charge of our training this time."

She stopped in front of the neon light filled building. I could already the sounds of the game machines 'dinging' away as people cheered in victory or jokingly cried in loss. "I already regret letting you bring me here."

Fumiko laughed, leading us inside The automatic doors opened for us, leading directly to the front counter. A teenage employee greeted us with a brief run down of the rules and how to win. With changing of our cash for tokens, we were sent off to 'enjoy' our time.

The only game that I wish to try was the dancing machine but that was surrounded by tens of people for the person on the floor. The person relied on the bar behind them support them as their feet worked to press the correct steps. That wasn't what I was expecting. Though I have to admit, they were pretty skillful in keeping up.

"What do you want to do first?!" She shouted over the other noise.

"Leave." I replied monotony.

"Come on don't be like! Here, let's go over there!" She grabbed me, taking my body across the area.

First was target games. Then a few riding games, back to targets, the strange roller coaster stimulation that only increased the amount of Fumiko's screaming. A whack-a-mole game that didn't particularly work well with my level of comprehension of pattern predicting that Fumiko had me play multiple rounds to win her enough tickets for a prize. A pinball machine that had shown signs of obvious tipping over the years and a wide collection of classical joystick controlled games.

None of them particularly peeked my interest. I wasn't necessarily bored but there was surely a difference in the two of our behaviors. Where Fumiko was running around from one thing to the other like a child, I was taking my time to join her. She even attracted a high level of attention from her faint aura of happiness surrounding her. I blended more into the crowd or her unseen player 2.

Only by the time that she felt that had her fill of games did she finally let us leave. I checked my phone seeing that we were in there for, rounding to the nearest hour, five hours. She had lugged a giant dolphin on her back with a proud smile on her face. "Thanks for winning me this."

"No problem, it wasn't that hard." She walked with a small hop in her step that made it a bit worth to put up with the arcade for the time. She reviewed my face beaming a little.

"You look a lot better than when we first went in. Did you have fun? I knew that bringing you here was the good idea. No one can resist the temptation of the arcade."

"Except me. I was more pleased at you being happy at your dolphin. I guess the arcade isn't for me. It was too predictable in the sense that if you were here enough you could win every prize in there within a day. It wasn't really my place to be." She gave sigh.

"I should have considered more about what a bookworm like you would have liked. But everything you do wouldn't hype you up for the audition. Where would you even go to have fun? And please don't say something like the museum or library because I ain't going there."

"That's insulting." I rolled my eyes when a familiar street sign caught my attention. "Actually, why don't we go somewhere I like. Trust me, even you can see the influence that this place has on 'boring' me."

* * *

"You actually go to places like this?!" Fumiko yelled over the noise. But unlike the arcade's random noises, she was trying to top the sound of people' cheers and the band's playing.

"Only once! They're good, aren't they?!" I raised my voice for the first time for the day. I bobbed my head to the accompaniment drum to the bass strumming. The lead guitarist noticed me in the crowd, giving me a playful wink. Fumiko looked at the two of us, shocked that I was so at ease with this place.

 _The Butterfly Effect_ was the underground party site that I had visited after I had talked to the queens. And since we were in the general vicinity with a Fumiko wanting to experience my definition of fun, I had taken her here. I smiled seeing her jump up and down with the audience. She fitted in like a puzzle piece, somewhat forgetting that I was with her. Or that her dolphin was dancing with her.

Three songs pasted by that we didn't even realize the time spent. The song ended with the last vibration still making its way to the bones of the players. "Thank you everyone! We'll be taking a short 10-minute break and we'll be right back."

The drummer/leader, Koyuki, was the first one to make her way over to us. She gave me a high five and threw her arm over my shoulder in a comfortable manner. Though the adult woman was much large than I was that she had to lead a bit on me. "Didn't expect you to be back so soon, little idol. You should join us for our next stage. Sure you can catch up in 10 minutes."

"No thanks, Koyuki-san. Just wanted to introduce my friend to my kind of place." The band turned to Fumiko who bowed politely having her dolphin slightly hit her head.

"I'm Watanabe Fumiko. Your stage was incredible. I don't usually listen to rock but you guys were so cool on stage that I couldn't help but dance. I can see why Momo likes this place so much. All day she's been a such a downer that this was the first time I saw her having fun. Does she come by often?"

"A chatterbox this one is." The lead guitarist, Kazuya, joked. "Nah Momo only performed here last weekend. Is it going to be a weekly thing of you? Students like you should focus on your studies."

"Like you focused on your studies as a kid." The owner came by with a smile on him. "Thanks for promoting my business, girly. You're always welcomed here. You know once school finishes and all. Have to say that I liked your other clothes better. Not that you don't look nice right now." I pulled on the skirt a little, grimacing at the sparkles.

"I get it. Just experimenting today. Speaking of school, we should be getting back soon too." Fumiko loosely grabbed my sleeve.

"Nooooo, I wanna stay. These guys are so cool. Can't we stay until the end. You were finally being fun to be around." I chuckled at her, petting her head.

"While I do enjoy to hear that I was fun in your eyes, we shouldn't stay past our curfew. Besides now we can actually start our training that you promised."

"Training? You got an audition, little idol?" Koyuki released me returning to Kazuya's side.

"Yeah, the two of us, in three days." I shook off Fumiko who continued to plead at me.

"Well you'll do great. Don't forget about us either. Kazuya's vocal's are no where near yours. Always a spot for you on our band. " Koyuki told me.

"I really hope so. See you guys another time." I waved them bye as I half dragged Fumiko out. I lead the way as she sulked at not being able to spend more time with them.

"That was a big shock. That place was so cool I never would have thought that you would have liked to go there. I thought you would stay away from places like that for the love of your life. I always knew that you were more mature than I was but you total fitted in with those guys." I shrugged.

"They're good people with a nice sense of music. In a way it's similar to the arcade but it's contrast in the purpose. I find that I can relax there." She suddenly held my hands, bouncing in spot.

"That's it! That's the way I want you to act for the audition!" I tried stabilizing my body as she used all of her strength holding onto me.

"You want me to be relax? That seems the opposite of what the pop aspect of the audition." She heavily shook her head.

"No no no! How they got you excited and how you were natural around them. Forget about the idol side of you to just enjoy the scene. You were smiling when you saw me with my dolphin and when the band were talking to you. Unlike me you aren't full of energy all the time but it looks like the simple things are the best things to raise you up. I want you to be as if you were inside _The Butterfly Effect._ " I nodded seeing her reasoning.

"Does that mean I can finally change out of this?"

* * *

The three remaining days were lead by me in training. The dances themselves weren't complicated so that beginner players could follow along. There was more of a sense to making sure that the body proportions were in the correct stance. Honestly, Fumiko's advice of trying to find my safe spot was the main point in making it likable.

We stood in front of the audience in our respected school **Torte Coords**. I peeked to the left side of me at Fumiko. She was more comfortable in this state that had full confidence in her ability to 'pump them up' as she would say. Still a strange phrase to describe things. She gave me a nod, lowering her head to get started. I closed my eyes, clearing my head of all thoughts. I was just going to perform as I always did.

The image of Charlotte playing the piano at the daycare flashed in my mind giving me a rush of buzz. I shot my eyes as the music came on.

 _Fumiko: Tenohira ni tsukanda yakusoku wa._ Fumiko started us off with her higher tone voice

 _Momo: Eien ni kienai takara mo no._ To be contracted by my lower tone voice.

 _F: Itsuka miageta_

 _M: Sora no kanata ni_

 _Both: Bokura no asu e to michibiku future star._ We harmonized for the line as the beat picked up. We took quick steps to match the beat, using our arms to add emphasize on our moves. We hopped in spot then moved to a different spot on the stage.

 _F: Kimi to tomo ni nagashita namida_

 _Marude yoru wo kakeru ryuusei ne_

 _M: Negai goto ga kanau no naraba_

 _Hitotsu daji na mono wo mamoru yo_

 _F: Kiseki wa guuzen ja nai_ I spun around to move slightly behind her. Thought I had found the zone that I could I work in, Fumiko's feeling would be the real star of this show.

 _Doryoku no kesshou ne_

 _M: Donna kurayami ni mo_ That wouldn't mean that I would become her back up dancer as I used her departing to the side to attract attention back to me.

 _Utsukushii yume wa aru yo_

 _B: Motto mae e susumou akiramenai kokoro_ She came back to my side so that we could move in sync.

 _Kimi to naraba ganbareru_

 _Muda na koto wa nai yo_ Though I was somewhat taller than her, it didn't change the foot work that we displayed.

 _Ue wo muite waraou_

 _Ichido kiri no toki dakara_

 _Wasurenai yo egao donna tsurai michi mo_

 _Itsumo kimi ga soba ni iru_

 _Tadori tsuita saki ni_

 _Nani matte you to_

 _Azu wo terasu kizuna wa future star._ As the song was coming to an end, we finished with the remaining steps. Finally turning so that when we moved backwards our backs were against one another. And with opposite arms we formed a heart together as the last touch.

* * *

I sat on the bench once more in front of Charlotte Cottage. Fumiko nervously paced in front of me, going back and forth from the cottage to the pathway. "Are you even sure that you can meet her here? It's getting late. She's probably inside already. Maybe we shouldn't even be interrupting her on her private time. I'm sure she's tired from her day. We can always talk to her tomorrow."

"Or we can talk to her now, since there she is." I pointed the happy Char skipping her way down the path towards us. I stood up, which caused her to stop. Her head dropping for a second letting Charlotte take over. Her skipping stopped as she walked over to me.

"Good work today Charlotte-senpai."I bowed to her with Fumiko looking as if she forgot to breathe. She stuttered in bowing her head, moving slowly behind me.

"Good afternoon Suzukawa-san, Watanabe-san. I read the good news on my way back to campus. I have to admit, I didn't think you would win from what I previously saw from you. Though I feel your victory was due to Watanabe-san's influence on your performance."

"It was a spontaneous burst from say my performance of _Blue Moon_ by Shouta-kun, if I say so myself."

"I would agree. It was amusing to watch your performance. Congratulations by the way. As first years it's important to put yourself out there in a variety of ways. You've shown that you can handle that." She remained silent looking straight into my eyes. And unlike Fumiko who was cowering in fear by the tension, I kept eye contact.

"So what do you say?" I broke the silence by giving her a prompt to go off of.

"You have peeked my interest as to who you are as an idol. In regards to a duet... I want to propose another trial. If you're willingly to take it."

"Of course. I meant what I said about wanting to perform with you."

"In about a month, Char will be holding her first ever solo concert. Undoubtedly that will be a lot of work to accomplish. So to help her out, why don't the two of you act as special guests? See what Char has to say about you guys up close. There is a difference of how one appears compared to the screen."

"I accept." I said without a second thought. Fumiko pounced on my back, pulling me back a little.

"Wait, by the two of you, you mean the two of us? As in me too? As in I get to perform on stage with Char? Like in real life and not just in my dreams? And you're serious? Not pulling on my leg? This isn't a prank camera is it? Are you in on it Momo? Are th-" Charlotte took one look at her to make her shut her mouth.

"Is she always like this?" She asked.

"You get use to it at some point."

"I rather not. Nonetheless, Char would be handling you, both, from this point on. She is the idol after all. If she says that she likes you guys, then I'll perform with you." Fumiko opened her mouth to question more when Charlotte started to walk off.

In one month, I was going to perform with the Starlight Queen at her own solo concert. Not exactly what I wanted but this was only a step towards my goal.

* * *

Trivia: Raichi and Noelle's have two twin children that are about 5 months' year old. Ami was named after Shugo Chara's main character's younger sister Ami Hinamori. Along with her there is Haruki named after Honeywork's character Haruki Serizawa who had an older brother who he admired to a lot (No spoilers).

These two will just be minor characters that won't appear too often but they fit the image of younger siblings that Momo does not have as she does go to help take care of them if needed.


	12. Gaming not Playing

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU

Momo's POV

"I can't believe that actually happened. I can't believe Charlotte just agreed for you to perform with Char-chan. This is crazy. You've- we've only been idols for over a month. And we're getting the opportunity just handed to us! Do you think Char-chan would like us? I mean, I spent the day with her as her manager and she's super chill and all but to actually _perform_ with her. I can't breathe. Catch me if I faint." Fumiko rambled on as we were returning to our dorm.

"And yet, despite your lack of the ability to breath, you still are able to speak as you continue to repeat yourself." I unlocked our door moving to my desk.

"Can you blame me? Ever since I saw her first performance I've admired her. This is basically a dream come true!" She flopped backwards onto her bed, grabbing her pillow to hug tightly. She squealed happily kicking her legs wildly.

"Remember that there's still a month left so we need to prepare for it." She threw her pillow directly at the side of my head. I paid no mind as I fixed my hair.

"Ugh you and your preparation. Why can't you let me enjoy my little bit of happiness?" I picked up the pillow off the floor tossing it back to her. She easily caught it putting it back on the bed.

"I can't since we still have work to do. Remember the audition we won today? We have to meet developers in a few days. Please don't forget that."

"Maybe I should take you back to _The Butterfly Effect_ before you start boring me again. Besides I probably know more about video games than you do. I would watch Kyo-nii and Kagura-nee play for hours in competition. Things like that were my childhood. Don't worry about me. Have you even played video games before I took you to the arcade? And don't say online chess or solitaire."

"I'm guessing that you want me to exclude online Sudoku as well?" She rolled her eyes at me.

"You're a lost cause. See. There was reason that I fit the audition type than you." I shrugged my shoulders pulling out one of the magazines on the company.

"Whatever you say. I prefer to say that we just have different taste in our forms of entertainment." I pulled out my Aikatsu phone to arrange my schedule and calendar. "So we have the whole week to prepare for our job. The general process should only take up 2-3 days considering the average timing of develop. However, there is always room for error so our job is to comply when that does occur."

She hummed while scrolling through her phone. "Are you even listening to me? This involves the two of us, you know? I would appreciate it if you at least paid attention."

"I am. It's just, I already know what you're going to say. We need to make a schedule that balances out our school work and training. Then you're going to research more on the company and the makings of games while still thinking about our concert with Char-chan. If problems come up, then we got it. We're an unstoppable duo, don't panic."

"If I didn't already know that you're a hard worker I may have nagged you a lot more." I stated.

"Aww thank you. I take that as a compliment from someone as strict as you. We're already going to blow everyone away at the gaming place. Andddd even more at Char-chan's concert! This job is going to be easy peasy with you by my side." She gave out a happy sigh, pleased with how everything was going.

"Yeah yeah but you're listening to me right? This is the first job that the two of us got so we don't want to have a bad impression. This can also serve as a learning opportunity to learn about the gaming field. Sure, it's not something that most people look for in terms of idols, but it is nice to have a unique experience that others don't."

"And that's why I can trust your brain. Always looking to stick your hand into another idea. Well don't get too worried since I'll be supporting you every step of the way."

* * *

"I don't think I can be supporting you every step of the way." I face palmed at Fumiko's line. I lightly grabbed her wrist, dragging her away from staring down the multiple consoles on display.

Already from the first floor of the building we could see multiple games that the company created. It was packed with workers and players alike to test out sample games and systems. Fumiko was practically drooling over it that I was sure that if I wasn't here she would spend the entire day playing. I brought her up to one of the people at the front counter. "Hi, we're Suzukawa Momo and Watanabe Fumiko from Starlight Academy. We're here to help out for the prototype of the new dancing game?"

"Oh, then you'll be heading up to the fifth floor. I'll send the team up there a memo to let them know that you're coming up." They told us. I bowed to them, giving a quick thank you before heading in the direction of the elevators.

"Why aren't you nervous?" I let go of her not finding the need to continuing dragging her everywhere.

"Why are you nervous? Just yesterday you were excited to come here."

"I'm not nervous. I'm absolutely bubbling with excitement! This place is lot cooler than I thought it would be. Like they have all the new games here. Kyo-nii has been practically begging our parents to buy him the new Super Crush Bros. game since it was announced and they have it right there for people to walk in to trial test it on the new Rii console released only a few months ago. Like, yeah, they made it but still! Kagura-nee will faint once she hears about this. How aren't you intimated by all of this?"

"Because I'm not particularly interested in gaming? I thought that we already established this before?" I pushed the elevator's button having it open right away. We both stepped in hitting for floor 5 like told. "Just focus, we're here to work not play."

"Why can't we do both?" The doors opened up. Fumiko was the first to step out, eager to get started. She was practically a baby animal waiting for a treat. I followed her out looking around the floor. It gave off the impression of being a floor more devoted to the testing of products as there wasn't anything visible but long hallways. Most likely there was a collection of rooms spread out for privacy and space consideration.

"I assume that you two are the idols from Starlight?" One worker approached us. I reeled Fumiko back so that she had somewhat a professional look to her. She stumbled a bit, pulling it off as bowing to the worker.

They looked at me with a bewildered look in their eyes. It was almost like asking me if this was actually the person that they would be working with. I gave weak smile pulling her to my side. "That would be us. I apologize for my partner's behavior; I can vouch on her behalf that she's not too childish when working."

The worker gave her a quick scan over, both gesturing for us to follow. Fumiko looked at me not understanding the tension that she created. We followed the worker to one of the rooms. It was dark for the most part with quite a few head lights above us that you were either in the dark section or the extremely illuminated parts. We set down our bags on one of the tables so that they wouldn't get in the way. The worker led us to one person sitting in front of the long row of monitors.

"Sir, the test models are here." The main person took off their headphone set and stood up.

"Ah yea, the ones that won the audition. Well I'm honoured to be working with such remarkable students." He walked over to us shaking our hands individually. I put on a polite, professional smile while shaking his hand giving a small introduction to myself. Fumiko doing the same.

"Well time is money." He grabbed two packages wrapped in plastic for us. "These are your Mo-Cap suits. I assume that you already reviewed the dance for today so you guys can get changed and we'll get started. Please show them to the change room."

The worker, once more, took us to another location where we could change into the new suits. I tied my hair in a small ponytail so that it wouldn't get too messed up with the headband given. Once the both of had changed we went back to the studio. We had to wait a little while they set up a few things.

"This was not really what I was expecting." Fumiko told me looking down at the black outfit with the strange white balls stuck on.

"Mo-cap suits, also known as motion capture suits, are used to make easier, more realistic moving animations. Once we stand in front of the green screen over there, our bodies would be displayed to represent the game characters. These balls are meant for positioning and light infraction."

"You know quite a bit." The developer came up to us.

"Only the basics. There is a limit to what you can find online and experiencing it in person." He nodded.

"That is very much true. So, we're all set on our side and the both of you are in the suits. If you could both head over to the green screen, we'll get started. Please stand on the black taped x on the floor for calibration." We both nodded moving to his direction. Fumiko stood to my right on the other x that was there. Noticing that there were four x's I moved so that one was in between us.

The developer looked up from the monitor to me. "Thank you." He quickly mentioned. Most likely there was meant to be four players setting so there should be some space between all the characters that couldn't fit in the studio for a trail one like this. Even if I didn't move they, probably, would have would have told one of us to.

"Alright, can you two raise your right hand and check on this screen that it matches from your perspective." He pointed to the one screen facing us. On it was one blue and one purple silhouettes with a white, grid background. We both raised our right arms seeing that the movement was being recorded.

"Woah, that's so cool." She dropped her arm to raise her left arm and repeat. I was about to tell her to stop when the developer cleared his throat loudly. She put her arms by her side, getting back on track. "Sorry."

The developer didn't look at her just returning to his work. He mumbled to a near by worker on what to do next. Fumiko looked to me with a nervous posture as if telling me that she knew that she, sort of, messed up. I waved my hand a little telling her to brush it aside.

"Okay, seems like everything is working fine. Though I request that you refrain from moving too excessively since the system may glitch." Fumiko remained sill, not wanting to cause any more problems. He gave a sigh, taking a seat. "Let's run it from the top. First song first. You girls ready?"

"Yes!" The two of us responded. I got into the starting position making sure that I didn't move too far from the labelled x but not too close to my partner. I quickly ran through the routine in my head, reminding myself of all the steps.

We waited a little for the music to come on. "Oh!"

The music was cut off when Fumiko suddenly exclaimed. I looked to her wondering what was wrong. She quickly looked to me, then bowing to the workers. "Um I'm sorry. I was just surprised by the lights. It threw me off a little. I'll be more prepared this time."

It took me a moment to realize that she was referring the lights on the suit. I guess since I never got a chance to tell her the mechanics of the Mo-Cap suits, them lighting up would have distracted anyone. Especially considering that they were all over the body, them lighting up wouldn't be something people would first expect. Unfortunately, since recording had already started when she cried out the suits would have caught the movement that was unnecessary for the game. It wasn't that big of a deal since it was at the beginning but it would defiantly was not something that the workers would want to putting up with at the start of the process.

"It's fine. Scrape this copy so that we don't need to review it later." I could hear the workers typing on the computers. I assume that they managed to delete this trial as per his instructions since they gave him the okay. "We're going to try this another time. Ready?"

I noticed the strain in his voice, not failing to see how he was directly asking Fumiko instead of me. I felt bad on my part since it was partially on me to inform her of everything that she would have to be aware of. I should have known that using the Mo-Cap suits for the first time would lead to some surprises. Maybe once we got a chance to take a break I could teach her a bit more.

Luck, however, was not on Fumiko's side since we a long enough break didn't come. Of course, they did give us some time between the fifth and sixth song for some water and rest but during that time the developer wanted to teach us a bit more about the working process. Actually, it was more on teaching me. Since I had more general knowledge on the computers than she did, they had generated a particular interest in me. And I was not in the position nor was one to turn down the offer. Coding was similar to applying and combining basic formulas to a multi-step problem, that they had only increased my interest in such.

Though I couldn't get rid of the bothersome feeling of Fumiko resting by the side. I had already warned her that the first impression was important as idols. So far that wasn't looking good on her part and we both knew it. She looked as if a weight was placed on her shoulders with having to make up for her lacking aspects.

* * *

That's how the first day ended. We still had to go back tomorrow, after the workers looked over today's trails. Though we had to redo small parts on the spot, there was always little things that machines picked up better than the human eyes could see at first glance. That's why we were allowed to go back for the day. Rest up and smooth out the rough edges later.

"I felt so useless today. I thought that it would have been funner." Fumiko aimlessly poked at her food.

"A. That's not a word. B. You're not useless. and C. The developer is only strict because it's sensitive work we're dealing with."

"The sensitive work that you understand. Come on Momo, we all saw that they preferred you to me. They would have offered you a position at their company if you weren't an idol. Even when you were trying to describe everything to me in the car, I fully blanked out. I can't keep up with you."

"They're not expecting you keep up with the mechanics. They just expected the test model to be more professional. Keep in mind that you know their brand name in the industry. That makes them a well known company. They can't really afford to mess up. You finished today without any major problems. Now you know what to expect for tomorrow, and for future jobs. That's the main lesson to take out of today." She sighed, not completely satisfied with my answer.

I knew Fumiko's type. She may seem brash and foolish at the start but she takes her work seriously. The only problem that she has is not taking the right route. Like with her debut, she wanted the biggest type of entrance that she overworked herself. With being Char's manager, she only wanted to see the behind the scenes that she didn't look at the possibility that there was more to it than just going on shows and performing. Today, she excitedly wanted to be in a video game, forgetting that this was a business at work. All adding up to her state now.

"I don't know what to say Fumiko. You are not going to change in a day's worth of time nor should you. Just take it easy. You can do the job perfectly fine without all the extra details. You learned the dance faster than I could, not to mention that you are able to work on twelve songs in one day. That's not easy. You could only keep up because you worked hard. Don't belittle yourself over a few mistakes."

Her eyes didn't meet mine. She only looked at her food getting cold. I wasn't use to this kind of situation of comforting someone. The most I did was talking to Shouta when he was having his little nervous blurbs. I never had the experience of cheering someone up. I couldn't find the right words together that would fit to help her.

* * *

"We'll be in care today as well." The two of us, already in our suits, bowed to the workers. The majority of them gave us nods in agreence, the others not hearing us as they were still reviewing the system for any problems. There wasn't going to be a lot to do today as things were running quite smoothly. We only had four songs left on the list, the rest would be left up to the company to design.

Fumiko was doing a bit better than yesterday as we came early enough so that she could play a few of the games downstairs. I think she took the most enjoyment in beating me in those character battle games. In my defense, she did not let me review the instructions beforehand as it 'ruins the fun'. The whole time was just me pressing random buttons in hopes of landing a hit. Long story short, I didn't win a single round.

It was enough to lift her spirits though. That's all I was really aiming for. Since I couldn't talk her out of it yesterday, gaming was the reliever for her when she started to doubt her matching the image.

"Likewise. We all know the schedule for today. Everything is good to go?" We and the workers confirmed the statement. "Then play the music."

We performed the dances as per instruction finishing quite cleanly. There was only one song that we had to repeat the ending for left on the list since they wanted to have multiple copies to be able to piece together. This made it more efficient than having us go over the entire song a bunch of times. We had a short break in between so that they can review one more time that that's all they wanted to complete.

I took out my Aikatsu phone seeing the little notification of a missed call. I took a sip of water as the call was ringing through. "Hello? Momo-san?"

"Hey, I saw that you called me a little while ago. Weren't you suppose to be at the studio today?"

"Yeah I still am. I just needed your help on something. It won't take long, I promise." I plugged in one of my ears so that I could hear Shouta a bit better.

"It seems that whenever you have a separation promotion from you, you always need my advice. Ah well. Go ahead." I dropped my head a little, trying to block the other noises around me. It didn't help that he was in a quiet studio with a soft speaking voice. My head shot up when I heard someone yelling.

I failed to witness how but the developer and workers were panicking with a nearby shell shocked Fumiko. I took a second to quickly ramble my answer to Shouta, hanging up on him once I got it out. I stuffed my phone back into my bag, going over to the mess. "What is happening here?"

Fumiko looked at me with pleading eyes. The developer rubbed his temple, taking deep breathes. "Watanabe-san had accidentally leaned on monitor system, unknowingly bumping her leg against the power cord, pulling it out of the outlet. All the computers were turned off and we're trying to see the damage now."

"I'm so sorry. It was not in my intention." She whispered.

"I understand that..." The developer dropped his hand, looking back at the computer screens coming back online. "Just... Please do not touch anything."

She nodded, biting her lip. I walked over to the systems scanning everything over. "So is everything okay?"

One of the workers gave out a breath of relief. "Yes. Luckily we constantly save and update a back-drive every time something is done. We would have to redo a few of the editing but all the records are still here."

"Great. Let's do this quickly before anything else goes wrong." The developer spoke with no energy left. We remained quiet as we performed the song and though her dancing wasn't effected, as a friend I could tell that she could have done a lot better.

"That's a wrap for today. Thank you both for your hard work these two days." We both bowed but Fumiko remained quiet.

"Thank you for the privilege of participating with everything. And I'm sorry on the behalf of both of us. I shouldn't have been on my phone in the first place. It was unprofessional of me to be distracted. Neither of us meant any harm."

"Everything worked out in the end. We might have to set back the release date because of the delay in editing but we'll manage. Watanabe-san, I hope you take this as a lesson to watch more of your surroundings."

"Yes sir." She replied solemnly. "I'm sorry that I caused a panic. I was so distracted by the moving silhouettes on the screen. Like, I grew up playing these types of games that I finally got to watch it up close. Then I saw that one of the workers were layering the two other players over ours and I got so memorized. It was so basic and complex at the same time that I didn't even realize that I was getting close enough to mess everything up."

"Well thank you for your kind words." I tilted my head a little.

"Wait, they were layering the other players earlier?" I asked.

"Yes, I guess so. We're always trying to cut down on time that we're on different steps for different songs. That must have been one of the close to completed songs since the other two players had came in earlier than you guys." I turned to Fumiko.

"Fumiko can you describe what was on the screen?" She was shrugged her shoulders.

"Um all the players were different solid colours, they were dancing but it was on mute. They were only silhouettes so I can't tell you much."

"And yet you said that it was basic." They two looked at each other, not seeing where I was going with everything.

"I proffer a proposition." The developer looked me dead in the eyes with confusion. Fumiko gave me the x signal. "I mean; I want to offer an idea."

He looked at us, questioning what just happen. "Okay? Let's hear it out."

"The original plan was to have us here as gaming models. Now that we've completed our role I think it would be a good idea to listen to Fumiko's ideas on gaming design." She lightly jabbed my side. She leaned into my ear.

"What are you doing? I was ready to get out of here and sink myself into despair." I placed my hand on her shoulder, pushing her closer to the developer.

"Fumiko is a fan of not only this company but others as well. And one thing she may not have shown much over the past two days was that she's a people person. She knows exactly what people want and what makes them happy. Just now I looked at a few of the previews and found no problem with them because I have no idea what to expect from video games. Fumiko, however, found them to be basic. What game would be fun if it was basic?" I took out some of the notes on their company from my bag.

"Five years in the making and this company has focused on console gaming. Meaning character battles and adventure formatted story lines. Dancing games like this have been gaining popularity that the company decided to join the wave, with no background information. We can choreograph the best dance routines possible but if there was nothing but bodies to copy on a screen, the consumers will not be interested beyond the advertisement. It's common for companies to get an input from an outside source and Fumiko is in the perfect mindset to be that person for your purposes."

Fumiko didn't say anything, as the developer stood there. He glanced back at the workers cutting the dance parts together.

"What do you think would make it less 'basic'?" He finally said. Fumiko's eyes practically budged out of her sockets at his question.

"Uh well um for one thing. If it's going to be mulit-player I would want a setting where I could see my individual points instead of a group one. That way if I play with my siblings or friends it raises the competition and that makes us want to play longer in order to win. Then putting a bit more difference on the characters instead of just having the basic body image and colours cuz' I can't tell whose who in the long run."

He nodded along. "That can take months to work on and figure out... But I think that would be doable."

Fumiko quickly grabbed hold of me, squeezing my arm a bit tighter than I would have liked. "Seriously?! Like you're not just pranking me? You're actually considering that?"

He cracked a smile for her. The first one that she saw from him since we started. "Of course I am. I know a good idea when I hear it. I can't be certain that it'll happen but it'll defiantly be put under consideration. Thank you for your work, Watanabe-san."

I managed to pull her off my arm, chuckling at her. "See it's like you said, you better fit this than I do."

* * *

Trivia: The reason why this chapter took so long to write was that I was half way writing it when I decided to change the entire plot. Originally, Momo and Fumiko were going to get into a fight as Fumiko was too laid back while Momo was too serious. But then I realized that it was kind of too earlier for them to be fighting and I couldn't work it into the gaming aspect of the chapter. In the end it turned into their personalities making the developer almost causing a riff in how they work. Thank you for waiting for this chapter (University is boring)


	13. Pressure

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU

Shouta's POV

I double checked, or more like quadruple checked, that I was on the right bus. Then, that I had to make sure that I had the right date. That I wasn't going to be late. Too earlier would make me seem really eager too, so I tried to refrain from that. I also didn't want to trouble the school so I decided to take the bus to the studio.

It was further away than King's studio so I wanted to make sure that I didn't have any facts wrong. Timing, date and location were all in check and I even had Momo give me reassurances that I was not misreading anything. I couldn't depend on her for everything but, it does ease me to know that she could still look over my small details that I wouldn't think of. Though I do feel that she has been more devoted to her goal of Takahashi Charlotte that she has been busy as of late.

That's why I'm taking the opportunity to learn about song writing and composing. It took a bit of time to arrange a proper meeting but I was on my way to meet up with the planner of my first audition. He was apparently a well known music producer so he let me to learn a bit more about composing.

It wasn't for free though as my song gained a lot of popularity from my audition. So in exchange for some lessons, I was going to give my song for copyright. This is where it became tricky. Since I was still a student, I didn't know everything that I needed to know about legal work. That's the major reason it took so long to work out a balance of benefits.

In the end, I get the creative control of who and how it was going to be made. But to do so I would need some official lessons in music creation. Since my brother only taught me guitar, theory wasn't in my forte. Mr. Suzukawa said that I had a natural music ear, that wasn't enough to release a song under my name though. Other legal work was under the producer's name that Headmistress Aoi had to work out and Momo had to explain in simple detail to me.

Now I was on my way to the studio and while I wanted Momo to come with me, she had to work on the gaming thing in a few days that I couldn't bother her. So I was alone. Going to work with a professional musician. On a song that I wrote. Working with real singers looking buy the demo to my song. No I am not okay.

My leg bounced up and down the entire bus ride that I probably gained some muscle from it. The bus intercom came on announcing the next stop. I stood up, forgetting that the bus was still running causing me to almost lose my footing if it wasn't for the above hand rails. I pushed the button for a request to stop, trying to play off my nerves.

When the bus stopped, I stepped off, thanking the driver. I walked a little further away from the bus stop to the studio that I memorized the directions to. I found it harder to breathe as I got closer. I peeked inside the building, knowing full well that this was the right location by the sign outside but still finding the need to be cautious in possibly walking into the wrong place. For all I knew the studio could have the sign in the wrong place.

A sectary sitting at the desk awkwardly looked at me slowly entering. They stood up bowing to me as I got closer. "You must be Higawari Shouta-san."

"Uh Y-yes that's me." 'I guess they must have been expecting me. Oh who was I kidding? Of course they were. Why else would they know me? They most likely described me as a shy boy that would come into the building at this time.'

"Great! Then I'll take you up." They stood up, gesturing for me to follow. I kept up as they went up a few floors up. The building wasn't too tall. Maybe three floors including a basement. From what I found on the internet, this was both a professional music studio on the upper floors and limited instrument teaching on the lower half.

We went up the last level where a few studios had been separated by walls. I could already hear the difference from the sound proof walls but still having a few muffled noises break through. The sectary left me alone in one of the studios as I was a little earlier than schedule. The moment they closed the door behind them I almost collapsed.

This place was completely high tech. Absolutely nothing like the kind that King gave me. Momo was right in suggesting that kind of room since this was too overwhelming. There was a large panel of buttons that I'm pretty sure that if I stretched my arm length, I would not reach the other end. They were even labelled with only abbreviation that I had no clue on. A keyboard on either side, several speakers around the room. The most intimidating thing being the large computer screen, that was only item that partially covered the glass screen to the recording booth. At least there was a normal computer keyboard in front of that.

'Why did I agree to come here by myself?! I should have waited a bit more before I decided to take lessons. Gosh I don't even know how to play the piano. What if he's going to slam me with a bunch of theory?! I barely handled it when Nii-san did it. Let alone an actual musician. Oh why didn't I listen to Momo and Nii-san during those times.'

I stood in the corner of the room like a child getting a time out. I couldn't look at the scene in front of me. I didn't hear the door open behind me, only wallowing in fear. "Um Higawari-san, are you okay?"

I turned around, pushing my back against the wall as far as I could. "F-fine- absolutely- total-yes- I-I'm fine."

"Right? Um if you'd like we can move to a different studio, if this makes you uncomfortable." I could feel the blush on my face.

"I-if you wouldn't mind." He chuckled at me, opening the door for me to leave first. I quickly-but in a not too desperately- rushed out of the room. We walked a little away from it when he struck up a conversation.

"So I assume from your audition song guide that you have some familiarity with recording. If this one was too extreme, then what kind of tier have you worked in? Are you more project, home, mid-tier, something in between? Whatever makes you most comfortable."

"T-tier? I-I'm sorry I don't really know what that means. The tier part. Not the comfortable part. I understand that. I mean- I have basic comprehension skills. I'm not too sure on the types though." Was there some sort of rating system for level of professionalism involved? All I knew was the room that King set up for me and there was only a small set up.

He stopped walking for a second. "I know that we set this up so you can have some professional training but you do have some experience or knowledge in recording, right?"

I shook my head. He gave a sigh. Silence filled the hall as he thought about what we could do. "You know what? We have home tier studios and that just means that it isn't as advanced as the last one. We'll get started with the basics and work our way up. Sound good?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm sorry about that." He shook his head as we went back into the elevator, going down a floor. This new room was a bit less nerve wrecking. It was slightly smaller as there wasn't much equipment inside. There was still a control panel hooked up to a computer but there wasn't as much switches and dials. There wasn't a recording booth in this one that I think we'll eventually have to go back there after a while but for the basics this was a better option.

"Are you okay with this?" He asked first. I nodded following him as he took a seat in one of the two chairs. I sat in the one beside him, shuffling a little so that I wouldn't be in his personal bubble.

"So how exactly inexperienced are you? Just to set a basis." I fidgeted with the handle on my bag.

"Um I know how to record with a mic. That's basically it. Since it was on such a short notice, King-san did most of the work. I kind of wrote the melody and King-san put it into a track. The song guide was rough around the edges because I unknowingly made the key pretty high. I was lucky that Momo-san was the singer to take it. That and that she had previous training before going to Starlight. But then again it was meant to be for an upper year so they should have more range than me. I don't, really, think that the song would have received such high praise if it wasn't her."

"Well the song was made in her image was it not? With those types of songs there is a certain emotion that wants to be poked. For Suzukawa-san to pull it off was impressive. The two of you are a very unique pair if I've ever seen it."

"That wouldn't be the first time that we've heard that." I embarrassingly rubbed the back of my neck.

"I don't doubt that. After your audition I made the effort to check out your enrollment in Starlight. An idol aura was it called? You were the only person to show it off at the time. I knew it looked familiar as you could see it in the clip of Suzukawa-san singing your song as well. Once we work out the details, everyone that buys this recording will feel that essence of Higawari Shouta."

"E-essence? Doesn't that sound a bit excessive. I-I'm only a beginner."

"Nonsense! I know talent and you have it in song writing. Learning to moderate a mixer can be taught but natural talent to compose is rare. Embrace that." I could feel my heart race at all the compliments.

Yes, others have told me that my song writing was nice. That was even the reason why Momo scouted me in the first place. After our first audition, classmates started to talk to me to find out my process. But this was completely different. An actual composer, mixer, song writer was telling me that I was good. Not just good. Talented. 'Oh I really hope I don't mess this up.'

* * *

I kept plucking the strings of the borrowed guitar tapping my foot on the floor. I flinched as I heard the recording speakers come back on for the 13th time. I wanted to re-record my guitar riff for the bridge of the song since that wasn't something I wanted to create electronically.

However, it seems that I forgot to mention that I was also a beginner at guitar as well. So while I knew the chords and the fingering for everything, there was a lacking of fluidity. I didn't even realize it before. Now, in a real recording session, each time I switched notes there was a clear break between notes and you could hear my fingers moving to get into the right position each time. It didn't help that the producer was sitting in a few feet away from me.

"Would you like a break Higawari-san? You've been at it for around 2 hours. We can go back to reviewing the board panel if you'd like." I gave out a sigh putting the guitar back onto the stand. I went back into my chair next to him looking over the panel.

There wasn't much to do though. I was overwhelmed at first but it was along the lines of ear training. All the buttons still confuse me, the computer sound waves and layering even more, but I had an idea of what the song should sound like. It wasn't a very good method to figure things out by trial and error making it a very slow process. It was a good way in teaching though as I could work with the differences to learn the effects that each switch did.

"Um would you mind playing the recording again? The part after the first chorus." He moved the mouse to the right bar, pressing the space bar to play it a little. "I wanted to lower the sound of the drums a little so that I could hear the piano a bit more. Only the main notes though to fill in the spaces."

My hand hesitated over the panel as I was searching for the right dial. With my left hand on the right dial, I used my right hand to select the right section. Once I was sure that I had the right timing for it I adjusted the dial by the smallest turn until I was satisfied. Then I had to change the piano part as well. "Uh I think I need a new recording for the middle C chord followed by the A minor, in eighth notes."

When the producer didn't say anything I raised my head at him. "You learn fast. Didn't really expect that seeing from the way you hid in the corner earlier. I guess it wasn't wrong for me to teach you. Question before I play though."

"G-go ahead." He pulled his chair closer to the piano, wiggling his fingers a little.

"I understand a writer's wanting to make everything perfect. What I don't understand is why this part is the hardest for you. Once you got the concept you polished the rest of the song with little to no problem. Why is this part any different?"

I slowly pulled my hands back. I replay the fixes that I made in my head. Everything was coming along easily. I had the set plan for what I wanted to happen. The only part was that I no idea on what to do with my parts around my guitar playing. It wasn't going how I wanted it to be but not to my satisfaction.

There was a missing part that was going to make it work. There was a soft bell ringing in my mind looking at the blue flickering light.

"A voice." I whispered.

"What was that?" He questioned me.

"A voice. I need a voice that could sing for the track. I know that it's still in it's rough patches but I think that a voice is exactly what it needs. This was meant to be the peak of the song that captures everyone with a soft, undertone sadness. I need to hear a singer's emotions to fully complete it and clearly my voice isn't the right choice."

He smiled at me. "Well how about Suzukawa-san? Perfect choice if you ask me."

"That's exactl-" I cut myself off remembering Momo in class 2 weeks ago. The way she looked at me to understand her when Fumiko was calling her crazy for wanting to do a duet with Charlotte. The flame that was there.

Right now wasn't the time to be bothering her. She had her own goal to achieve that I couldn't distract her from.

"Actually, is it possible to get someone else? I wouldn't want to bother her for this." He was confused at first.

"I guess it's not that big of a problem. There are a couple of people that have come up to me to ask for your song. I'm sure that one of them would be able to fill in for Suzukawa-san." He left the piano's side to pull up his email on the computer. Some were dealing with his business here but the subject heading kept having the same title in them.

' _Blue Moon'_ s release? Possible demo recorders for _Blue Moon._ Offers for _Blue Moon.'_ The list kept going on with that common topic. I skimmed over all of them as some were of fans wondering for a studio version. Even a few other entertainment companies were wondering how they could sign for authorization over it.

"All of this is because of my song?" I turned to him with my finger shakily pointing to the screen.

"I told you that I knew talent. It seems that I wasn't the only one. It's not just from _Blue Moon_ either. Lots of people are seeing if you have any past or present work as well. Of course, I couldn't answer that as I have no idea about that either. I'm sure that they are just as good as this one though."

Suddenly the 100-yen store notebook in my bag felt valuable. My stomach was performing multiple flips as I saw the number of unread. 'Over 100 people are waiting for this.'

"Hey, you okay? You look a little pale."

"Y-yes I-I um I think I should be g-getting back to school now."

"Of course, you've been cooped up in here all day. I can call a taxi for you." We stood up at the same time. I rushed to pick my bag off the table, holding it close to me.

"N-no thank you. The bus is fine."

"Nonsense, this is nothing. Besides it's late and buses don't run all night." He smiled at me that made me want to hide away. I couldn't turn down the nice offer from him that I just listened to him.

* * *

I, quietly, opened the door to my room relieved to find the lights still on. I walked in, tossing my bag by my desk leg before lying down on my bed. "Hey, it's almost 9pm. Were you at the studio from the end of class until now?"

"No I left the studio around 7. I spent the rest of the time jogging and walking around campus. I needed the fresh air and space to think. Plus, Momo-san would be disappointed if I start slacking in my training while she's busy." I could hear Hayate move in his chair.

"Was the teaching that bad?"

"It actually went really well. Apparently I picked it up faster than he thought I would so that's a bonus. Um can I ask you something? Unless you're busy. Then I understand."

"No I was just flipping through a few magazines for next season's look. What's going on?" He got off his chair, sitting on his bed with his back against the wall so that he could look at me. I sat up and copied his position.

"You've listened to _Blue Moon._ What do you think about it?"

"What do you mean? Everyone I talked to in my class loved it. They knew that you were a songwriter but to start your career with that was a powerhouse move. Once you announce that a studio version will come out people would download it on the spot." I groaned pulling myself into a ball.

A lot really is at stake with this song. "Uh Dobu-kun? You know that was a compliment, right?"

I propped my head on top of my knees. I didn't meet his eyes just staring down at my socks. "I know. Thanks. It makes me happy that you like my song."

With my exhausted self, I barely reacted as my phone buzzed a few times in my pocket. I drugging took it out looking at the unfamiliar number sending new messages.

'Good afternoon Higawari-san, I hope that you made it back safety.' I pieced together that it was the producer from the context. 'I was looking through the candidates for potential singers that could take on the song guide in place of Suzukawa-san.'

'Already? Why didn't you wait until I was actually confident is the instrumental track first? I guess I did say that I would like to include a voice at this point.' I gave out a sigh. I scrolled through the rest of the messages.

'There's one that particularly stands out that has a tone similarly to Suzukawa-san, but I know that she's busy most of the time. When I offered her the position she said that she would be ecstatic to help out but only on the Sunday afternoon. So we can continue to work on compensation and lessons over the next two days if you'd like.'

I saw my thumb stopped moving as I took in everything. This must be some singer if they can only come in on one day. What would I know about song making too? If the producer says that she's the best candidate, then I couldn't have any problems with at least hearing her out.

I typed back a short message. 'That is fine with me.'

* * *

I brought my hand up to the door then dropping it again. Then raised it again. Repeat. I caught the looks of my fellow students going to their next class as I kept hesitating to actually knock on the door. I jumped back when the door slid open. Mr. Suzukawa came out, shocked at how close I was to the door. "Higawari, how long were you standing there?"

"I'm not sure. How long has it been since the break started?" He looked at the watch on the wrist choosing not to say anything about the time passed. It was probably longer than I imagined.

"I have about 5 minutes to my next class. We can talk on the way there if you needed something." I stepped to the side so that he could walk ahead of me. I was worried about walking next to him that I may have lag a bit. To which he slowed down his pace to match mine.

"So Suzukawa-sensei, as a musician- not really as a student- but um- you're okay with speaking as a musician, right? I wouldn't want to intrude in your personal life and I would understand if you want to remain as a student-teacher relationship- as being a musician is in your past- not that you are any less credible than before!" He kept walking, not at all annoyed at me going over the boundary.

"I think we past student- teacher relationship when you came over for dinner during your training period. Besides it's my job as a teacher to provide some guidance to you, whatever the subject. Does this have to do with the lessons that Aoi had set up for you?" I nodded.

"I wanted to ask, how do you deal with everything? The producer, Momo-san, Hayate-san, from what I hear the entire population of our grade, and bunch of other people that I have no idea who, are waiting for me to release my song. Just thinking about it makes me more nervous than I always am. Is it just me that feels this way? This looks so natural for everyone that I feel that I'm just overreacting as usual."

"You are overreacting but at the same time you're not." I looked at him. "No one besides the composer knows how it is to create a piece of work."

He gave out a sigh. "There was a time when More Than True almost broke up over creative differences. We were starting to get attention and the company that offered us a position wanted to change up our image to attract more. I was against it as the songwriter but as the leader and friend of them, I put up with it."

He cracked a small smile. "I think that if it wasn't for Ichigo talking to us that day we would have disbanded. That would have been the biggest regret of my life."

He turned to me. "Listen Higawari. Your song is yours's. Even if people want it to be this way or another, it's something that you own. Someone out there will listen to it. My daughter will defiantly listen to anything you create. Even Ichigo was crying when she saw the performance. Idol auras come out when the idol is truest to themselves. And though you couldn't see it, it was there."

"Thank you Suzukawa-sensei."

* * *

Today was Sunday. The day that I had to the voice recording for _Blue Moon_. I was more, not really but to a certain degree, confident in my skills now. Though we worked more on producing and my vocals than guitar. He had no reason to work on my song writing since it looked like I had a good idea of my works. Guitar was, also, not something I could work on here as it was just the lack of practice that made the difference.

After my talk with Mr. Suzukawa I felt some weight taken off my shoulders. I knew that people were waiting. I have to take that into account. But that shouldn't change what I should do. I was going to hear out this singer and try my best to direct her to bring out the most.

My heart nearly popped out of my chest when I heard the studio phone ring. The producer went to pick up having short words to say. "She's here. You can wait here as I go get her."

"Alright then. Oh wait, you never told me her name."

"Ah yes that must have slipped my mind when we were practicing. She's actually an idol like you. Inoue Kikyo if that sounds familiar." With that he left the room. I brought my phone so that I could look up the name. Unfortunately, there were only articles about her that I didn't really have time to read through. There was a lot though.

The idea popped into my head to call Momo as my idol expert. She must have heard that name before. I dialed the number waiting for it to ring a little. Though I had to cut off the connection when I could hear some voices coming down the hall. I put my phone away, standing up to greet them.

The producer opened the door, being a gentleman, letting her enter first. The first thing I noticed about her was her uniform. Contrast to my blue and white one was her black and red Dream Academy uniform. I looked at her long brown hair that matched her caramel eyes shinning in the low light of the room, slightly covered by her skinny rimmed scarlet red glasses. 'Wow, she's really pretty.'

"Higawari Shouta-kun? I'm Inoue Kikyo and can I say that it's an honour to actually be working with you." I lost my breath hearing her speak. It was so smooth with a clear control of range and comfort.

"T-the um- honour-privilege-everything- is all mine. I-I'm still inexperienced but -I- really wa-" She chuckled at me having her small laugh echo in my ears.

"Please do not feel too nervous around me. I probably replayed your song a hundred times at this point so being the first person to officially record it is already a dream come true. I hope that everything works out today. I'll be relying on you to properly guide me."

I looked as the producer was happily smiling next to her. I tilted my head taking a closer look at the way she held herself. Somehow, even beyond her trained idol smile, it looked like she was faking it too much. I might have been caught off guard by her presence but at this point I was more confused than anything.

"Okay so we have the recording of the instrumental all ready but since we're going to be recording we might as well listen to it in recording studio then." The producer said first. We both nodded, following him to one of the recording booths.

We got inside taking a seat as he was pulling everything up onto the machines. The plan was to listen to my version so that she could have a feel for how it would go. Though she said that she's heard the song before, its better to hear everything in a studio version.

We listened to it once and her facial expressions didn't help in me in determining what she thought. The song ended as I bit my lip nervously. Inoue opened her mouth to say something when my phone started to vibrate in my pocket. I rushed to take it out, giving apologetic little bows. "It's fine Higawari-san. Feel free to pick answer it."

I took a peak at the caller id, standing up. "This will be really quick." I dashed out of the room, picking up the call.

"Hey, I saw that you called me a little while ago. Weren't you suppose to be at the studio today?" I held the phone at some distance as her place was a lot louder than here.

"Yeah I still am. I just needed your help on something. It won't take long, I promise."

"It seems that whenever I have a separation promotion from you, you always need my advice. Ah well. Go ahead." I felt a bit better hearing her support me even during her own schedule.

"Well I'm working with this idol named Inoue Kikyo-san. Have you ever heard of her or what's your impression on her?" I flinched as I heard loud, unclear, shouting in the background on her side.

"Uh Inoue Kikyo. First year, enrolled in Dream academy's idol course. Inoue Akari's younger sister, one of the muses for **Chameleon's Skin**. Guitar, piano, violin and flute. Ah but if she's your singer then you'll be fine as she's received vocal training since she was 6. Fair warning, though not vocal about it, there are times that I've noticed of her being irascible. I have to go now. Good luck!"

I looked at my phone seeing that she had ended the call. It must have been due to the shouting that I heard. I went back into the studio, bowing to them for taking the call.

"Everything okay? Inoue questioned from her seat.

"Yes, but do you guys know what irascible means?" They looked at each other, shaking their heads. "It's okay then. Um so what did you think of it so far?"

She hummed a bit. "I can understand why you would want a voice added in. Though not common, it is very much possible to work the back track to match the particular singer's skills. It can make things a bit harder to form on but in terms of overall work, it does make the song unique. It's kind of like saying that this is the only singer that could fully bring out the potential."

"Does that mean you'll be the singer?" The producer asked. She nodded giving another fake smile. I wonder why she would agree with such a smile. She could have disagreed and we would have gone our separate ways. I just couldn't understand why go through such an effort.

* * *

I pressed the button that leads to the speakers in the booth. "Can you try to lower the last note of the bar a semi-tone?"

"Not to complain but you just told me to raise it a semi-tone. Before that was to hold it longer then shortening it. It seems that you yourself are not fully aware of what to do." I bowed my head, taking my finger off the speaker. The producer pressed his own button.

"Inoue-san, we've been recording for quite a while. We've gotten almost half of it done that you deserve a short breather." She nodded, taking off her headphones. She left the booth and the room a together pretty fast. The producer sighed, turning his chair to me.

"Okay Higawari-san. What is the problem? You've been heckling her for every little detail that even I don't find any issues with. Even with her caliber of vocal abilities, there is a limit to how much she can do without proper instructions." I ran my hand through my hair, resting my head on the table.

"I don't know. There's something off with the way she's singing that doesn't fit what I had in mind." I was glad that she was out of the room so that I could take my own break.

"Off in what way?"

"Like... When I created the song I just... I just wrote it in a way that expressed what I was feeling at the time. Yet when Inoue-san sings it, I feel like she's trying so hard to overtake it that-" I raised my head looking at the solo mic stand inside the recording booth. My eyes widen at the blue sparkles around the mic. I stared at the item hearing the clear melody in my head.

"You created _Blue Moon_ for Suzukawa-san. Perhaps there's a difference in how the two of you view the song." I shook my head clearing my mind of it. Mr. Suzukawa's words bounced in my head.

"I know that I am pretty clueless against all of the legal things but I have the creative saying in the song right?" He was shocked but nodded. At that moment Inoue walked back into the room. I stood up, holding my hands together tightly.

"I'm sorry that you had to waste all of this time trying to work on this song." She took in a deep breath as she put her hand on the recording booth door.

"It's fine. I was being unprofessional by complaining. I know that you're new to this so I shouldn't be too critical."

"No it's understandable especially because..." I took in a deep breath knowing that I was going to get a lot of angry feedback. "I've decided that you're unfit to be the singer for this song."

Both of their mouths dropped open. She clutched her fist, clearly holding herself back from out bursting. "Might I know why?"

I saw how she was biting the inside of her cheek. "When you sing the song it's almost as if I could hear anger. I don't know why but there's something underlying in the way you hold yourself that is throwing the song off. And because I know you've listened to the song before, you should know that anger is not the emotion I was trying to convey."

She scoffed at me, putting her hands on her hips. "That's right. I'm angry at the song. 'The moon that I viewed from the ground'?"

I recognized that as how I described the song after I had won. "You and Suzukawa Momo are nothing but jokes that are riding on the coat tails of some attention from your debuts. The message this song delivers is but a way of admitting defeat that you could never reach your goal. Yet that's all that Suzukawa blabs on about. For you to create a song that praises that is ridiculous."

She picked up her bag, throwing it over her shoulder. She stopped at the door. "You, maybe. But I will never accept Suzukawa Momo as an idol."

She slammed the door behind her with that being her last statement. I lost the feeling in my legs, falling to the ground. Somehow I figured what irascible meant and why Momo warned me about it.

"Higawari-san do you realize that you just angered one of the newest, upcoming vocals?" I didn't put in the effort to get up. Instead I got on my knees to bow to the producer.

"I'm sorry to you as well. You've wasted all this time on me and I don't think your relationship with Inoue-san will be well enough for you to offer her another job for a while too. That's my fault." I slowly raised my head when I didn't hear a response.

"That was bold of you. I have to respect an artist that is proud of his work. But do you understand that you breached our contract? I have a lot of other deals that I could have been meeting with. With this I have more losses than gains. I hope you take that into consideration. I can't keep giving you lessons at this point with no song in return." I pushed myself up.

"I can accept that. But about the song, would you mind waiting a little?"

"What?"

"The song isn't ready. Honestly speaking, I wasn't ready. My guitar skills are lacking, and though I know how the song should sound it doesn't mean I know how to direct someone." I looked at the recording booth. "More importantly, I can only picture one person singing _Blue Moon_."

"Suzukawa Momo-san?" I nodded.

"Despite what Inoue-san says, that song was meant for the two of us. You said that once it finishes, people will be able to hear and understand me. That's not possible because Momo-san's influence is already here. Even having the best vocals would not reach the potential you want it to be without her. Can you wait for the two of us?" He looked at me dead in the eyes.

"I know that the two of were daring after my audition but this?" Leaning back in his chair he gave a heavy sigh. "Fine then. Technically the contract never had a date set and you do the creative control over it. We'll wait until the two of you have been properly taught in your fields."

"Thank you very much!" I bowed a full 90 degrees.

"Our lessons are actually stopping though. I don't have time to be teaching you all the time so you'll have to work on that by yourself."

"I understand that. Thank you very much."

"You, also, need to learn to stop saying thank you so much. I get it."

* * *

Trivia: Fumiko has 4 siblings, her being the youngest. It goes in alternating order of eldest sister, 2 brothers, another sister, then her. Rin, Kyo, Hiro and Kagura in respected order. All of them being names after a character from the anime/ manga Fruits Basket (all of them are related in the show).


	14. Guest

A/N: I know that the Aikatsu series is meant to be slice of life and just for fun but I really want to write about some topics that are not like the light stuff that happens in Aikatsu. I will still have those filler types chapters where the characters can hang out and do auditions and whatnot. However, this chapter serves as the first show of my serious types of chapters.

I won't be challenging the huge/heavy social issues in the world, it's just a few things here and there that I feel that idols can help with like self-esteem and so forth. If you're looking at this story as just for fun, then I won't mind if you unfollow/ unfavourite the story as it does help with further character development as well.

* * *

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU

Momo's POV

"You actually told the producer to wait for us? What's with the sudden increase of courage?" I took another bite of my food looking across the table at Shouta.

"You act like you didn't just say that you told a professional game developer that his game design was boring." Shouta retorted.

"But I was just offering a possible suggestion that could be implemented to create a more positive result in future sales and products."

"And I was making sure that my song was going to done in a way that would make others happy." Snapshot sighed looking between the two of us.

"Can we just admit that you are both crazy brave to do either of those things? It's like a competition between you two to see who can stand out more. Either by going to an upper year audition or by talking back to producers and gaming developers." Fumiko nodded next to me.

"In my defense, that was not my intention. It always seems like we're making a big scene out of things."

"Speaking of big scenes, Momo-san, have you ever spoken with Inoue-san?" Fumiko's eyes widen at him.

"You had the guts to tell Akari Inoue that she didn't fit your song?! Dude are you nuts?! You should have taken that chance!" I hovered my hand over her face in a way to calm her down.

"He's not talking about Akari-senpai. He's talking about Kikyo Inoue." She looked at me with blinking eyes.

"Who's that?" I sighed.

"Never mind. And no, Shouta-kun, I haven't. I don't recall me ever interacting with Inoue-san as far as I'm aware of. Why do you ask?" He tilted his head.

"Well when I told her that she didn't fit the song I explained that she sounded really mad when singing. She went on for a bit that she didn't like the message that the song was conveying. Then she left by saying that she would never accept you as an idol..." He trailed off not sure if should have said the last part.

"Strict words. Sounds like Momo-chan has a rival." Snapshot pinched in.

"Rival or not I don't really mind much about her. I'm not too interested in the concept of rivals. The whole idea does push people forward, for me the title is not needed. If Inoue Kikyo really wants to criticize my performance, then she can say it to my face instead of messing with your works. Its cowardly to approach me through you." I cleanly wiped the corners of my mouth setting the napkin to the side of my finished plate. I picked up my fork reaching for my dessert.

"Well if you're ever need one, then don't go searching far. I'm the biggest rival that you have. Don't forget that Momo, because I'm going to be the biggest force against you. Not only am I your roommate but I'm your best friend too. That gives me an advantage over everyone else. Wait a second. Momo who's your best friend me or Shouta? You can only choose one." I looked between the two.

"Am I only suppose to have one best friend? Is that the standard base line for 'best friend' title?" Fumiko looked at me then to Shouta with a deadpan face.

"Never mind you can have her." He seemed shocked not sure what to do with that information. I poked Fumiko's shoulder.

"Um that does not answer my question. What is the base line? Is it possible to have two or more best friends and what are the qualifications to give someone that title? Can I say that you are my best friend and that Shouta-kun is my best boy friend?" Snapshot covered his mouth as he chocked on his water.

Fumiko laughed loudly slapping my shoulder. Shouta blushed hard, shaking his head at Snapshot. I kept my eyes on the scene not understanding what was happening. 'Maybe it was the way I worded it?'

"Momo, I knew I would find you here. Am I interrupting something?" Dad came up to our table putting his hand on my head. I looked up to him giving a small shake to get him off. "Aoi and I have been trying to call you for a while. Since you didn't answer I knew that you were eating." I reached for my Aikatsu phone seeing that I had 4 missed calls from them.

"How does her not answering her calls lead to her eating?" Fumiko asked.

"Oh I always turn off my phone off while eating. It's a factor that I do not like as I eat. It is a very distracting thing to have to attend to if it's in my line of vision or if I hear a notification signal." I looked back at my dad. "How may I assist you?"

"You have a guest waiting for you in her office."

"A guest? It's kind of late. Do I know them?" He stopped to formulate his next words.

"It's probably best if you meet him yourself. Just... don't freak out when you meet him." I curiously pushed my seat out, standing up. I grabbed my bag off the floor.

"I guess I'll see you guys later?" Dad pointed to my dessert on the table.

"Watanabe-san, do you mind taking that back to your room? Momo doesn't like wasting food, especially sweets." I smiled when she nodded as it meant I could eat it later.

We walked side by side as we went to Aunty Aoi's office. I read his face seeing him being a bit of stress on it. "Hey dad? I know you said not to freak out but you know me better than that. I'm not the type to freak out over meeting people. Growing up around celebrities can do that."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "He isn't famous and you're right, I do know you better than that. That's why I know that this kind of situation can make you uncomfortable. Unfortunately, it looks like you're the only one that can handle this. He requested you specifically and refuses to answer any questions that we have for him unless it's you asking."

I speculated at the worried face Dad showed. It was obvious that whoever this person was they were causing my cool dad to stress. I mentally prepared myself as he knocked on Headmistress Aoi's office door. Once we got the okay from the inside Dad opened the door for me to enter first.

I walked in first bowing to the headmistress, taking a peak at the figure in the chair. "Good afternoon Headmistress. I believe that there is someone here-"

I cut myself off seeing the small guest. The little boy jumped off his chair, running to hug my leg before quickly backing up and bowing to me. I pleading looked at Dad realizing why he told me not to freak out. 'No way. This kid has to be around seven years old. Why would a child want to see me?'

"Hi, my name is Riku! I'm a big fan of Momo-san!" He smiled brightly without a care at me. Completely unaware of how I was feeling. I politely smiled back.

"Um thank you Riku-kun but it's quite late, shouldn't you be home by now? Where are your parents?" I scanned the room not seeing any other adult here. 'Why did security let him in here alone? They always refuse to letting fans in unless there's a special event happening.'

"Riku ran away from home! But I don't really have any where to go so I thought of Momo-san! Now here I am." I resisted the urge to have my jaw drop seeing how innocent the child was at his claim. I lost my words not understanding what was unfolding right now. Headmistress Aoi cleared her throat.

"Uh Momo-chan, can I speak to you outside? Nao-kun can you?" She gestured her head in the direction of Riku. He nodded as she led me outside. The moment the door closed I made erratic movements pointing to the door.

"What is happening Aunty Aoi? Why is there a seven-year-old boy in there, telling me that he ran away from home to- not just to meet me- but provide a second home to him? I'm not even good with children what do you expect me to do?" She motioned her hands up and down to calm me.

"Look Momo-chan, listen to me. Before you got here he didn't even speak to us. When we tried to ask him where he was from or what he was doing here, he only said that he will wanted to speak to you. And you see how young he is. Security couldn't just let him run off. I know it sounds crazy but try to sympathize here. His parents are probably worried sick so try to -you know- find out what's wrong and get him back home because somehow I don't think it's just that he's your fan that would make him come here."

I lowered my head. "Alright. I'll see what I can do."

"Great. After you then." She held open the door again. I took in a deep breath walking in once more. I witnessed as Riku was having an intense stare down with Dad. Dad was clearly just watching him as the small boy glared holes at him. He must have some deep grudge against everyone but me. 'Why me though?'

"Riku-kun?" I called out to him first. His face was the definition of 'turn that frown upside down' when seeing me. He pedaled his legs over to me and away from Dad. I crouched down to his level. "Um Riku-kun I appreciate you coming out here to see me and all but I can't really help you out here."

His face slowly fell with his shoulders. His eyes pouted at me like a puppy. "Why not?"

"Running away from home is a serious problem. You're so young too. Would you mind, at least, telling me why you did it or why you thought I would be able to help you?" He puffed up his cheeks in an ruffled manner.

"I only want Momo-san to know. No adults." I refused to sigh not knowing how he could take it.

"How about this then? My Dad and I will take you home for today. Then tomorrow after we both finish school I'll come by and we can talk about what you need help with. I can't guarantee that-" I stopped talking when Riku hugged me. I was almost knocked off balance at the sudden weight on me.

"Okie dokey Momo-san I understand! Wah I can't wait for school to end tomorrow." He was bouncing in his spot, beaming at the idea.

"So where do you live Riku-kun? We'll take you back now." He ran towards the chair that he was sitting in early, grabbing a small backpack off of it. He opened it up revealing the tag on the inside with his name, home phone and address. He proudly showed it off to me.

'It isn't that far from here. He must be attending the elementary school near by. That would explain how he was able to get here by himself.' I took out my phone dialing the number. I let it ring for a little when the other end was picked up by a female voice.

"Hello? I'm sorry but I'm quite busy at the moment so if you could call me back at another time I would greatly appreciate it." Just from the voice alone I could hear the panic in it.

"Yes of course I understand but would this happen to be about a child named Riku?" The other voice gasped loudly.

"Oh my! Yes, it is! He is my son and he has not come home yet. Do you happen to know where he is?"

"Yes, my name is Suzukawa Momo. I'm a student at Starlight and it seems that Riku-kun came all this way to greet me." I purposefully let out the fact that his plan to run away. "My dad and I are planning to drop him off now so I decided to call you first."

"Thank you so much! I'll be waiting outside so that it's easier to find us. I'm so sorry for the trouble!" I looked at Dad wondering how if this would be how he felt if I ran away from home. That's the way that a parent is suppose to feel.

"It's nothing at all. We'll be heading to the address on the tag in his bag so please anticipate our arrival."

"Of course, thank you. Thank you so much." I hanged up the phone with that. I looked at the black reflection screen on the phone. The reflection of my dad's eyes and my mom's face structure.

We got into Dad's car with Riku and I sitting in the back seat. Even though it wasn't a long ride, it didn't take long for the child to fall asleep on my lap. It was quiet as Dad drove that I couldn't stop thinking about the boy sleeping. When we reached his home I gently shook the boy awake as Dad greeted the couple waiting outside.

Riku practically slept walked into his father's worried arms. "Oh Riku if you wanted to meet Momo-chan you could have told me. You had your mother and I scared for a moment."

"I tired. It sleep time." Riku was still asleep as he hugged his mom. He gently lifted him off the floor, bouncing him lightly in his arms. I watched the two parents look loving at their child returned home.

"Um Sir, would it be okay if my father and I talk to you and your wife about Riku's situation?" They looked at each other surprised.

"O-of course. I'll just set him down first but please come in." The father went inside, first heading upstairs to put Riku in his room. The mother gestured for us to come in, leading us into the living room.

We took a seat on one couch with mother still nearby. "Can I offer you anything to drink?"

"I'm fine. Thank you though." I said.

"Same for me as well" Dad chipped in. I took the time waiting for the father as a chance to scan the room. From the looks of it Riku had an okay life. It was a nice, clean house with a few toys lying around. Nothing too extravagant but still enough for a child his age. Even his school materials in his bag looked fine.

The father didn't take too long as he came back quickly, sitting next to his wife across from us. "So what would you like to say?"

"My daughter refrained from mentioning this over the phone but Riku-kun had actually stated to her that he was planning on running away." The two of them were set back. "We weren't able to respond faster as he was very reluctant to answer to any adult on who he even was until she arrived. Do you have any idea why this may be?"

They looked at each other. "No, I'm sorry. Before today Riku was well behaved. He listened to us, plays with the kids from school from time to time. Nothing really comes to mind. Him running away doesn't sound like anything he would do."

"That's the same for me. That's why when I came home to my wife and not Riku I immediately panicked. When we called the school they said that Riku left school at the same time with a few of his friends, same as always." I nodded.

"How about yesterday? Did anything change about his daily life? Him losing anything? He was kind of hesitate around adults as well." I offered a few options for them to think about.

"Maybe a new classroom? It's only been around 2 months since the trimester started. But it's a small school that majority of his classmates are the same and he said that he enjoys the new teachers as well. He still talks to his past teachers at recess."

"I see. One more thing, it seems that Riku-kun favours me for some reason. Do you know why?"

"Idols are always on T.V nowadays that he might have seen you before. Us being close to Starlight really increases the talk. It's possible that he may have saw you on tv." I watched the two parents as they became slowly sadden. They weren't able to come up with anything that could help us figure out his reasons and that must have hurt their pride as parents.

"Well it's because of his favoritism that I've made a deal with Riku-kun. Tomorrow I've proposed that we discuss after he finishes school so that I could try to hear him out in a more relaxed environment. If this is okay with you."

"Yes please, if you can find something out then by all means!" The father told us with the mother agreeing fully. These two really loved him and Riku didn't seem that bothered when we got out of the car either. I saw him smiling really brightly when he saw me that I didn't think anything was wrong.

The only part that differentiated from just running away to meet me was his attitude towards Dad and Aunty Aoi. They couldn't have done anything wrong but hearing his parents speak it sounded like he was a good kid that wouldn't be so sour towards two adults trying to help him.

Dad placed his hand over mine giving it a small squeeze. "Thank you. We don't want to take up too much of your time so I think that we'll be leaving now. I can assure you that my daughter will handle this to the best of her abilities."

"If anything arises please feel free to contact me." The parents stood up, giving small bows to me.

Dad and I sat in the car as he was driving us back home for the night since it was easier for us to just go back home together. "What do you think about it?"

"I don't know. Riku-kun seems like a good kid. And I know it's wrong to assume at this point but he doesn't look like he has any big issues. I can handle Ami and Haruki when they're crying or something along those lines but this is completely different. The boy was determined to come to me without any plans to go home but wasn't so determined that it wasn't an option."

"That's kids for you. Their emotions sway pretty fast. When you were little you didn't want to stop guitar lessons but the moment food was involved that guitar was flying off your neck." I gave out a weak laugh.

"I don't even remember that."

"I do though. A role of parent is to remember everything so that I could embarrass you after."

"Thanks dad."

* * *

School ended a lot faster than I would have liked. I spent most of the time exploring any possible reasons for Riku's actions. Studying common cases of runaway children and the reported reasons for it. Nothing seemed to align with him besides a child just not understanding the definition. So when I arrived back at his house to pick him up, you could say that I was not prepared.

The boy ran up to me again upon our greeting. "Momo-san! I really thought yesterday was a dream but you're actually here! Thank you so much!"

I looked back at the mother who was concerned for how her son could be so happy yet could still plan on leaving them. "It wasn't a dream and just for today I'm going to hang out with you. I know a nearby ice cream place that we can go to. Would you like that?"

He nodded, not even asking his mother first. She made eye contact with me, giving me silent permission to take him. I held out my hand for him as we headed off. It was a short walk as I didn't want to exhaust him for going too far. He didn't complain though, explaining how his day went while swinging our arms.

After paying for our individual ice creams, I getting two more scoops than him to his dismay, we sat at a table enjoying our treat. And though I wanted this to just be me eating a snack after school I couldn't forget what I had to do. "Hey Riku-kun, I know that you wanted this to hang out with me but you can't ignore what happen yesterday."

"Fine. Only because it's Momo-san." He grumpily stated, still eating his ice cream.

"You've said that before. What made you become my fan?"

"Idols are reallllly popular in my school that I kept hearing your name a lot. My friends are fans of yours too- ah but don't worry I didn't tell them that I was meeting you today because I know idols like to spend free time too. I liked Momo-san's songs too! It's really pretty! I became your fan yesterday when I found out how much we were alike."

"How are we alike then?"

"We don't like our parents." My heart stopped for a second as he said that with a smile on his face.

"W-what? H-how can you think that? About either of us?" My eyes frantically searched his face for a sign that he was joking.

"Because Riku saw your audition for Starlight! You said yourself that you wanted to show people that you were more than what your parents put on you. I understand that's why you don't like them because I wouldn't like it either if people compared me to my friends all the time. Riku liked Momo-san because you can understand me." 'I mean it's true that I hated being associated with that but I never hated Mom and Dad. Is that how I look?'

"Riku-kun why don't you like your parents? When I met them yesterday they seemed like fine people." I quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe his hand as some melted ice cream dripped down his hand. He mumbled an apology, continuing to eat a little.

"Mommy and Daddy don't pay attention to me. That's why I don't like them."

"What do you mean?" He looked down at his lap.

"Grade three is hard and they're too busy to pay attention. I want to go back to grade two when I didn't need to learn stuff all the time. Every one of my friends knows their multiplication table but me. So I wanted to ask them but at the same time they never asked me. They never ask how my day was like they did before, most of the time I just tell them even if they're not interested. School use to be where I met my friends but now it's too hard. I thought that Momo-san would understand how I feel that I ended up going to your school. I'm sorry."

So that was it. Riku wanted to run away because he felt that they were paying attention to him. That, also, explains why he didn't want to corporate with Dad and Aunty Aoi. In his eyes they were other types of adults that were the same as his parents. The types that were too busy for their child. And the reason why he was willingly to tell me was due to us being on the same ship. He believed that I out of everyone, would be able to process his way of thinking.

"Hey Riku-kun why don't you finish your ice cream and I'll bring you somewhere else." He lit up again.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere important to me."

* * *

I patted the spot next to me on the hillside. Riku sat next to me looking at how the river was sparkling in the sunset light. I took a deep breath of the fresh air. "It's pretty here. Why did you bring me here?"

"We have a misunderstanding between us that I want to clear up. I don't dislike my parents in any way. I have never thought to run away from parents, no matter how hard it got for me. And I understand the multiplication table." I met his eyes as they brimmed with tears. "What I don't understand is you."

"Wh-why would you say that?!" He shouted as the tears fell. I slowly brought my hand up to his cheek using my thumb to wipe his face.

"Because that's what I firmly believe. No one can understand you because they're not you. You said you became my fan because you thought that you understood my feelings but you don't. No one ever does. Can I tell you a story?" He sniffs his nose a little while nodding. I hand him the packet of napkins that I always have on hand. He took it blowing his nose first.

"When I was younger, I suddenly told everyone that I was quitting singing and guitar. Can you imagine the sheer amount of trepidation on my teachers' faces when I said that? Even my parents thought I was just bluffing, throwing a tantrum as a child does. Over time they eventually accepted that I was serious. When I said that I wanted to be an idol Dad wasn't too for it at first."

"You gave it up because you were being compared though. I would be mad too." I pulled my legs closer to my chest.

"Why was I being compared though? My mom had a completely different range of tone to mine. My dad, though he can play acoustic, prefers to sway to the electric. And why should this be a bad thing? As a child, being told that you have the potential to be match the Star couple, that should be a good thing."

Riku's crying quieted down. "So why did you not like it?"

"The one phrase I remember the most 'you're doing great Momo-san, you can be the next Hoshimiya Ichigo.' I didn't want to be the next Hoshimiya Ichigo. That wasn't understood because no one was in my position. I was good at music. I was different from my parents. They were showering me in compliments. That's why they thought it was ridiculous for me to even think as everything to be negative."

I replayed the multiple lessons that I had. Even when it wasn't mentioned specifically to my face I could hear the way they spoke with one another. 'Momo-chan is doing really well, her father must have given her some tips because I've never seen a student improve so fast. Her parents must be so proud of their daughter. Momo-chan has a really nice voice I can't wait until she becomes the age of idols.' "Music wasn't fun anymore. No one can fully understand you. That's why it's wrong for you to come to me thinking that I can solve all your problems."

"Then why did you bring me here?"

"Because while I found that no one understood my way of thinking that doesn't mean they can't help. My grandma didn't know how I felt being compared to my parents yet when I told them that I wanted to apply for Starlight, she was the first one to support me. I think she did it, not because she knew how I felt, but because she understood her own feelings. Her own feelings of finding a place to belong." I watched families pass by us hand in hand.

"I don't think you hate your parents. I think that you just try to push them away like how you claim they did to you. I saw them yesterday; they care about you. They just didn't know that you wanted help because you never told them. Even when you were talking about your day with me, you only focused on when you were playing with your friends and not on your struggle with school work. I can't comprehend every thought you have and no one can unless we learn to read minds." I took Riku's hands into my own.

"The place where my mom works is literally in our house so I was never really separated from her. However, I know how it feels to be a bit lonely. I want you to tell them. I don't understand how you don't know your multiplication tables but that means that I or your parents can teach you if you just ask. Riku-kun you ran away from home and we both don't understand how a parent- your parents- felt when they heard the news. They probably didn't tell you today either. That's why you have to make the effort to speak out."

"What if they don't want to listen? They don't even ask how my day goes anymore."

"Well that's because you automatically tell them. Doesn't mean they're not listening. If they don't listen, then you can always come to me. I will listen to you but you are the one that needs to take action. It's my job as an idol to help and hear people out. I mean you already trespassed on school grounds once already. At least this time you'll have my permission."

"What's trespass?"

"Uh it means to enter without permission."

"Oooohh. Without permission is bad." It was strange to have to clarify what that meant considering that I usually had to do it for more advanced words. For a second I forgot that Riku was so young.

"Yes it is. Like running away bad." He took a second to take in my line.

"Momo-san, can we go back to my home now?" I nodded standing up first. I dust the ends of my skirt from the few grass blades stuck on it. "Oh wait. You never said why you brought me here?"

"Ah that." I looked at the river. "This is the place my mom and dad first really spoke to one another. It's where Dad proposed to her."

A sudden energy took over me. "I love my parents but watch me Riku-kun. Right now you're looking at the next top idol."

I looked back at the boy seeing his eyes radiating with admiration. "Wow! Momo-san is sparkling just like you did on TV! How are you doing that?!"

I chuckled a bit. "It's called an Idol's Aura. I'll tell you about it on the way back."

* * *

In the end I brought Riku back home to his family to which he scolded them for not being able to mind read. They were evidently confused at the accusation, making Riku happy as he told them that if they wanted to understand them, then they would have to ask. Not what I was planning when I said that he had to speak out although it was an effective way to start off the conversation between the three of them.

I happily stayed for dinner after giving small lessons on basic mathematical. It was late by the time that I got back that it was a good thing that Dad gave in an early note of my absence. I reached the school gate at the same time as a car leaving. I looked at the dropped off student as I recognized the long blue hair.

She noticed me giving me a second to catch up. I bowed politely at her. "Good work today, Charlotte-senpai."

"Suzukawa-san, what are you doing out here? First years shouldn't be attending jobs so late."

"I was just getting back from tutoring someone. My dad already submitted my note of absence. It won't be a chronic issue for me."

"You tutor?"

"It's a long story if you are willingly to hear it."

"Pass. I just didn't want your extra extracurricular activities getting in the way of Char's concert. The two of you are preparing properly I presume?"

"Of course. The concert is in exactly 27 days or around 3 weeks for simplicity. I was planning on messaging one of you soon to schedule a practice with all three of us together. I was unfortunately caught up with my own work until yesterday when something came up. I'm taking this seriously I can promise that." She scanned over me.

"I'll pass the message along to Char then. She'll try to message to you soon hopefully." She took a few steps in the direction of her dorm.

"Charlotte-senpai." She paused. "Today I learned that being straightforward with your intentions is important. Please understand this then. I'm serious about performing with you. Not Char-chan."

"Message received."

* * *

Trivia: So I have a timeline for how this story is going to go. The next chapter (maybe the one after that if I come with a filler) is going to be start of Charlotte's arc. And like said in the author's note at the beginning Charlotte is going to be first character to experience one of the heavier subject topics. Spoiler it has to do with her spilt personality.

To clarify anything Riku ran away from home because he thought that his parents were ignoring him when he needed help. If you need help with anything then please speak out to anyone because though it can be small to some it can be very impactful to others.


	15. Dynamics

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED

*Chance! by anime: Kirarin Revolution singer Koharu Kasumi

Momo's POV

"Hello?" My classmates and I turned to the door at the sound of a greeting. The room quickly filled with gasps and whispers seeing our Starlight Queen present at our doorway. "May I speak with Suzukawa and Watanabe?"

Eyes changed target immediately going to us even if we were on opposite sides of the room. Fumiko rushed out the door with me following behind. We closed the door not wanting anyone to eavesdrop. It's not the biggest deal of everyone heard but just for some sake of privacy.

"Good morning Char-senpai, how can we help you?" I asked first.

"I heard from a little birdie that you wanted to practice with me for your performances." I nodded.

"Fumiko and I have been practicing according to the possible set list that you sent us. So far we have been able to get the general gist of the dances. I'm more so worried about our dynamics. Neither of us have worked with you that with the upbeat song it can be seen in shows." She rubbed her chin.

"Hmm that is true. The problem is that the set list hasn't been finalized. Because of that I didn't want to push you guys to learn everything."

"Eh but the concert's in 3 weeks. It's still not ready? Isn't that cutting it close for such a big event?" Fumiko asked.

"Concerts are always going through changes even minutes beforehand." I told her, turning back to Char. "And though I understand that changes are inevitable, you can't expect us to go in through the dark. Perhaps a different method is on call? Practicing isn't the only way to understand the partner."

"What do you suggest then?"

"My mom and Aunty Ran apparently didn't get off on the right foot at the beginning. Aunty Ran was known as the Beautiful Blade at the time for being cold, sharp and well beautiful. Meanwhile my mom was... Sociable? Yet when I hear the story they were in perfect sync because they spent the day together."

"Well why don't we just do that then? If it worked for your mom if can work for us. What did they do?" I scrunched up my face.

"I don't think that's going to work, Fumiko. It was hours before they had to go on the runway. Aunty Ran took mom around the studio to show the process going into their stage. Maybe one day we can do the same but for now I think we need a different plan."

"No but Watanabe-san is right that we should take a similar method. How do you girls feel about spending a bit of time with me?" I was startled as Fumiko clung to my arm.

"Is that really okay? I would love to!" I shook her off as she kept shaking with excitement.

"Of course! If its alright with the both of I have a bit of free time tomorrow afternoon. The rest of my week is full, unfortunately."

"Well we're totally free, right Momo?"

"Its on a short notice but it's doable." I looked behind Char as dad was coming up from behind her.

"Takahashi-san, good morning. Class is about to start so you should be getting to yours as well." I checked the time on my phone.

"Oh thank you Suzukawa-sensei. I'll be heading off then. See you girls tomorrow." She gave a small bow to dad and waved to us, running off to her class.

"Fumiko, can I speak to my dad alone?" She nodded going in. I crossed my arms over my chest. I pouted as he copied my actions.

"Class doesn't start for another five minutes. Were you listening in on us?" He sighed.

"This is the first time that Takahashi-san is working with someone else since coming here. It's going to take more than one meeting to get her to open up. The both of them. If you really want to perform with either side, you have to be the one to take action. That's the only advice I'm going to give you about her."

"As my dad or teacher?" He patted me on the head.

"Each one of you will learn something from one another that will benefit you in the end. I'm only giving you a small push. There's a reason why her entire first year she didn't speak to people."

* * *

"I hope you don't mind that you guys had to adjust to fit my schedule." I walked between the middle. We didn't really have a plan to say. With it being our first time outside of school together, none of us had an idea on where to go or what to do. Our next best option was just to roam the neighborhood park.

"N-no way Char-chan. It's really an honour to be hanging out with you today. Any day really." It didn't help that Fumiko was a nervous wreck. There was nothing intimidating about this version of Char. At least not by herself. As the Queen, Fumiko had already placed her on a pedestal. As if it wasn't awkward enough, it was clear that between the remaining two of us, our social skills were not the best to say the most.

Only now do I realize how much of my conversations rely on Fumiko's tangents. And that being top idol doesn't necessarily mean that they had to convivial. So while I had to enviably be the middle spokesperson, I couldn't think of any topic starters. The only thing we could converse about was regarding the concert yet I don't think this is the right setting for that discussion.

I let my eyes roam around the area for any sort of distraction. I smiled seeing a nearby bubble tea place. "How about we get something to drink? Even the school cafeteria is not perfect."

I pointed out the small mascot statue in front of the store. With bright colours and a strange shape to its body, kids crowded the object. I led the way as they quietly followed behind me. I opened the door having the air filled with the scent of fruits. "You seem happy Suzukawa-san. Have you been here before?"

I skimmed over the menu above my head as the employee came out from the back. "Ah Suzukawa-chan! You're not here with your parents this time?"

"You can say that I've been here a couple of times." I chuckled walking over to the counter. The employee smiled looking over to my two acquaintances. She took a moment to process the two faces.

"Oh my! Char-chan!" The employee bowed almost hitting their head on the cash register. "Oh my gosh. I'm a fan."

Char came behind me. "Thank you. I always love meeting my fans."

The employee blushed at the idol smile. I cleared my throat to recapture both Fumiko and the employee's attention off of her. "I'll have a large passion fruit green tea with lychee jelly, less ice and normal sugar please."

The employee chuckled at me as they pressed the buttons on the screen. "And for you two?"

Fumiko scanned the menu. "Hmmmm. I want to try the lychee but there's also the mango- lemon. Both sound good."

"I was thinking the same thing. How about we get one each and switch?" Char suggested. Fumiko was in a bit of a shock but still nodded.

The employee put in our orders telling us the price. I shooed the two that were trying to pay. "It's okay guys. I have a membership to pay for it."

"Are you sure?"

"Thanks!" The employee took my membership card to scan it. I saw from my side view as Char went to explore the small store. She stopped by the hanging corner tv to watch the strange ad.

I was familiar with the setting as the lively heroic music often caught people's attention. The person in the ad was trying to save someone when they needed a refreshing drink from this store's brand. It was amusing to watch as the person pretended to be a superhero. Fumiko was drawn to it too as she walked closer to get a better view.

I smiled taking out my phone. I snapped a quick picture of their backs without them noticing. This was probably the only time that I saw them next to each other all day without them being considerate of status. I scratched my head. 'If only they weren't so tense.'

"Your drinks are ready." They both snapped out of the distraction to retrieve the drinks. The employee placed each drink on the serving platform announcing what was what. I took mine instinctively as the two took the drinks that were closest to them. I watched as they seemed pleased with their separate drinks.

They were originally going to be trade drinks in order to explore the different choices but were reluctant to bring it up. I sighed. "Hey Char-senpai, would you like to try some of mine?"

She was surprised, hesitantly taking it out of my hands. The employee probably heard me as they dropped their shaker into the sink and rushed to get our attention. "Oh wait!"

Char's face puckered up after drinking a little. The employee covered their mouth as they let out a laugh. "I should have warned you that the passion fruit is one of our sweeter drinks that we recommend getting close to zero percent sugar added. Suzukawa-chan is one of the few customers that has such a sweet tooth that we no longer try to tell her."

"Oh come on it can't be that bad." Fumiko gestured for the drink immediately trying some.

"So what do you think?" She swallowed the drink giving a shake of her head.

"Not a drink for me." I burst out laughing when she handed it back to me with a forced smile. I took it back showing them I could actually drink it without any problem.

"That's actually amazing Suzukawa-san."

"I know. My dad always says so when I get this. Even the employees were shocked when my mom and I took it normal." I took another sip. They were bewildered by my taste buds.

"What she forgot to mention was that the lychee jelly topping does make it even sweeter so that isn't the normal way." I pouted at them putting taking the straw again.

"You didn't have to mention that part." I mumbled. Though if it broke a bit of the ice a little then I will gladly be the joke.

That was the goal at least. They avoided taking directly to each other because they were both misunderstanding the other's thoughts. Fumiko was sure that the Starlight Queen would be bored or annoyed with her personality. And because Char had already met Fumiko she probably thought that Fumiko didn't want to be close to her after winning the Queen's manager audition.

The worst part was probably that I was directly in the middle. I was acting as a moderator for two reasons. One, I was the common link as I was the one to ask for this opportunity. Two, I was unaffected by either of their personalities. With my childhood filled with the top idols, a title like Starlight Queen doesn't bother me. Then my over a month with Fumiko as my roommate I became use to her erratic ways.

I wasn't meant for this kind of role though! I couldn't keep a long conversation going about daily events nor could I purposefully make someone laugh at my jokes. I got along with Shouta on a reasonable level because of our understanding of each other. Snapshot was similar that we got along by keeping everything to a minimal that we didn't need to spend hours together.

But with Fumiko it was a one sided relationship conversation giving a leaning ear. I haven't established any sort of base for Char nor Charlotte that I needed to push myself to figure out our kind of connection. Fumiko was the other problem. As long as she kept being nervous around Char she was going to continue making it difficult for both of us.

* * *

I finished in the shower opening the door to my dorm. Fumiko was in front of her bed doing some light stretches. "Yo, getting ready for bed?"

"Yes. I could use the sleep after the day you two put me through." I sat on my bed grabbing my water bottle to drink a little.

"What? What did we do? I happen to think that I was being very polite and well kept today. I'm sure that Char-chan would agree if you ask her."

"That's the problem. I don't require you to be well kept being polite is okay, but that's not the issue. Fumiko one of your strengths is your understanding of emotions, both your own and others. But today you were so blind sighted by your admiration that you didn't realize that Char was silent unless spoken to. You spoke so casually to me and then went mute with her. Can you imagine how that feels?"

"Well its not that easy. Unlike you I wasn't raised with some of the biggest names in Aikatsu history. Being with Char now as a fellow idol, this is a literal dream. Not to mention being able to perform next to her. To me she's not normal that I can talk to her without a worry. I can't just forget that I've admired her from the audience for over a year."

I stood up grabbing my phone. "Do me a favour and close your eyes for me."

She put her stretching to a halt to follow my instructions. I gently made her sit down on her bed taking a seat next to her. "Do you remember the performance that made you her fan?"

She tilted her head. "Hmmm. I was always up to date with idols. Maybe her audition for **Angely Sugar**? Ah but her Halloween performance was so playful. And then there was her-"

Her eyes started sparkling. I covered them once more. "Keep your eyes closed, please."

She shut them tight. I sighed. "How about this, can you picture her orientation day performance for us?"

She nodded. "Char-chan put on a performance just for us. How can I forget?"

"Now I want you to picture this. Instead of an **Angely Sugar** Coord, imagine her in a middle school uniform."

"Middle school uniform?" I made small sound of affirmation. I scrolled through my camera roll.

"Then substitute the Angel Neon Stage, for her standing in the middle of an average household living room. Take away the fancy lights, outfit, makeup and the screaming students." I smiled lightly. "Change her mic into a rice scoop. You can open your eyes now."

She listened opening her eyes. "I don't get it. What was the point in that? That's not who she is."

"It can be." I showed her the image of them watching the ad at the bubble tea store.

"She doesn't have on designer clothes nor is she trying to excite a crowd of thousands. Looking at this photo, I don't see a difference between you and her. I never have." Fumiko held the phone closer to her. She blinked at the image. I stood up taking my phone back.

"I'm not asking you to forget that she's your idol. I'm just reminding you that you can still be yourself with her. In fact, I encourage both. Yes, I've been around idols all my life. That's why I can see that there's always two sides of them. And I want you to as well. Char and Charlotte are more than meets the eye. That's why I want to perform with them. And you're the person to help me."

"I have a plan to get closer to Char-chan. Do you want to hear?"

"Indubitable."

"I'll take that as a yes!"

* * *

"Thanks for the ride dad." I said from the back seat of his car.

"It's good thing its a weekend because I wouldn't have let you guys skip class." I understood as I saw we were getting closer to our destination.

"I'm honestly surprised you were able to figure out her schedule so easily." Fumiko proudly smirked beside me.

"This is nothing for a fan. As long as its an announced schedule, idols like Char-chan can be found quickly. But showing up uninvited to a private promotion is a big no no and could get you into a lot of trouble for invading their privacy. That's why you have to stick to official information or reliable fansites to avoid any misconceptions. You have to be careful of those sorts of things. Especially us. Wouldn't want to be hated on as rookies."

I watched as dad pulled into the parking lot. "Ah sensei you'll want to stop here and not the entrance gates."

Dad slowly pulled his car to the curb, stopping it entirely. "You sure?"

"Yep. Fans always come early to be able to greet and take a few pictures because they be able to enter. It would be harder for you to drive near that." I unlocked the door on my side stepping out first.

I looked up at the roller coaster zooming fast, hearing the screams above me. According to Fumiko, Char was here to film a short tourist attraction spot video. She was meant to show the appeals of an amusement park even if was quite far from the city. "Thanks again dad. I'll message you when I get back to campus."

Fumiko stepped out bowing to dad. He waved at us then drove off. She led the way towards the entrance gates as I kept looking around. Since it was the weekend there were a few families here to enjoy their time. The weather looked nice and sunny, perfect for filming. And a regular hang out I guess that was the wanted plan.

I was taken back by the amount of fans that were waiting for Char. There wasn't an alarming amount but the fact that more than 10 fans came to just see her is amazing. I have to admire fans like Fumiko who are able to come out just to greet her.

I turned around hearing a car's engine approach us. I recognized the car as the school's personal mode of transportation. It was meant for students who were unable to get their own rides but only for scheduled events.

The car drove past us pulling to a sudden stop. The sliding door was opened and Char jumped out. "Suzukawa-san? Watanabe-san? What are you doing here?"

"We decided that we would watch you while you worked. If that's okay with you and the director."

"I didn't need you guys to come out here. We could have tried a different time. I really appreciate the gesture, I really do, but you didn't have to drive all the just for me, Suzukawa-san."

"Actually this was Fumiko's idea." I gave her a light push closer. She blushed hard at the eye contact that they made.

"Watanabe-san?" She played with her feet.

"Um Char-chan can we redo everything? I want to perform with you. As an fan, an idol and possibly a friend. I may have been distracted by your title but I want to try again!" She sincerely bowed to Char making her blush. I smiled seeing her half cover her face with her hand.

"I-I'll message the directors now so that they let you in. I have to go greet the crowd over there so I'll join you after." She quickly ran off with her face still red.

"Well she didn't turn us away. Come on." I pulled Fumiko's arm towards the entrance as Char went to talk to her fans.

* * *

"Of course they can join the filming! The more the merrier." The director for today was more than pleased to see Fumiko and I volunteered to be included in the recording.

It was strange though. The program's initial goal was to showcase how an amusement park would be a fun way to spend the day yet from scanning around it looked like Char was the only one here besides the crew. Not to say that she couldn't properly promote by herself but for places like this the norm was to go with others. That would have been the best strategy in my eyes.

"Momo! Hurry up!" Fumiko waved to me in line for the spinning tea cups. I picked up my pace to join them. After discussing for a little, while we decided that we would slowly make out way through the park to make the most of the day.

Fumiko leaned against the bars that made the line formation. We had to stand in line like the others but since it was still early, it didn't seem like a long wait. She bounced in her spot watching the people spin around. "I'm excited! It's been so long since I was able to go out to places like this!"

"It couldn't have been that long." Char said as a way to maintain a conversation.

"Well I don't get a chance to go out that often especially not by myself. If I go out this far it would have to be with my siblings."

"You have siblings? I didn't know. Charlotte was always the one to learn about those kind of things." I patted her shoulder.

"She has 4, her being the youngest. I, as an only child, does not know anything about sibling dynamics. Even you have Ayumi-chan." Her face relaxed, not having the usual tension as it did when putting up the facade of being Queen. It wasn't an extreme change but it made a difference in her presence.

I took a step to the side as I found the camera person was focused on this new side of her. The conversation was not deep. It was a simple topic that not everyone, i.e me, could relate to. That didn't change that each of us were putting in an effort to contribute.

"Thank you for riding. Please exit to the left when the ride has come to a complete stop." The automatic message was put over the speakers. Once majority of the people had left, an employee let us in. The camera crew couldn't ride on with us so went straight to the exit to quickly set up filming while we went to choose a cup.

Fumiko got inside one, followed by Char and I. Char gave a nervous chuckle. Employees came by to make sure that the little gate was locked for each cup. "I don't know about you guys but I feel kind of nervous. Usually I would go with Ayumi and my parents so I never had a chance to go on too fast rides."

It suddenly dawned upon me that neither have I. "I change my mind. I want out of this cup."

"What's wrong Suzukawa-san?" I looked her dead in the eyes.

"Based on our personalities and our interactions, do you trust that Fumiko would go easy on us beginners?" She took a second to process my question, slowly turning to Fumiko's grinning.

The ride slowly started to spin. She placed her hands on the control wheel. "Don't worry guys. It'll be fun!"

The speed increased spontaneously. I immediately grabbed onto Char's arm. I could hear Fumiko laughing loudly with a mix of Char's screaming mixed in.

I don't know how long the ride was before the spin stopped. I still stuck to Char as we wobbled our way out. Even with my dizzy vision it was obvious that Fumiko was the least affected by her speed. She came to my other side grabbing my arm.

"Are you going to be okay Momo? We can take a break."

"Do you have some water?" Char went over to the staff members, handing it to me. I took a few large gulps wiping my mouth of the stray streams.

"Let's go. I was the one to agree to come so I'm not backing out now."

"That's the spirit!" Fumiko slapped me on the back cheering me on.

* * *

After a day's worth of riding and playing around, we were given a chance to sit down at picnic table while the staff went to buy some park snacks to eat. I would say our day was a success, even if I did become a bit nauseous at times. It was worth it to see Char and Fumiko finally getting along.

"Is this okay for us to eat food here? Aren't idols suppose to have a healthy diet?" There were still times that both of them acted self-conscious of one another but they managed to be more comfortable in the end.

"Every once in a while wouldn't hurt." Char replied.

"If anything I can prepare a proper meal once we get back. It won't be good as my mom's or grandma's but its not that bad in my opinion.

"Good work today!" The few staff members came to our table filling it with foods like takoyaki and cotton candy. "Would you guys prefer if we conducted the interview now or after you finish eating?"

"Now is fine with me. You two?" We nodded taking in a few bites as they readied the camera.

"Starting off easy, what were your favourite rides today?"

"Hmm I would say the drop tower or that water ride that had the really steep hill. Since we got to sit in the front rows, the majority of the water got on us." Char said first.

"It was a good thing that the staff had towels for us. I would say that the expectancy before the release invoked the atwitter milieu. Though I guess that was the main objective. I, myself, " Fumiko shook her head at mean. "What?"

She raised her arms into an x shape. I got the hint. "It just means that before the drop was the scariest part. For myself, I prefer rides that were calmer. Somewhere in between the carousel and the rotating swing set was more on my level if I'm speaking honestly."

"Really? I thought you would have said something like the glass maze. Or the booths that you win prizes at. You already won 2 animals and you got me a dolphin the other time." Fumiko said pointing to the matching stuffed animals next to me.

"I may give these to my cousins. Mazes and games are simple once you figure out the trick. Though watching you two go around in confusion was entertainment." Fumiko stuck her tongue out at me.

"Well my favourite would be that roller coaster that started going backwards halfway through. I love feeling the rush so the higher or faster was better for me." She ripped off a piece from the cotton candy in my hands.

"We can tell. I'm surprised Suzukawa-san didn't throw up after the first 10 rides."

"Didn't mean that I wasn't close to. When I say the carousel was one of my favorites it meant that it was a nice break in between." Char nodded with me as the fellow suffer of Fumiko's rush desire.

"So would you guys recommend coming here for tourists or people seeking to go on break?" The staff asked us. We all nodded together.

"Its not too far that it would make us wake up super early or plan much in advance. Going with the flow for this kind of place is best as the variety is spread out. This makes it so thrill seekers like Watanabe-san can go on fast roller coasters and Suzukawa-san can enjoy a carousel to calm herself." I admired how professional Char was speaking.

She highlighted the main points that would interest people into coming out by minimizing time needed to spend and increasing the range of potential customers. All while still keeping her charm on.

"I have to admit I wasn't expecting much from today but I had a lot of fun. An environment where people can be as loud as they please and get rid of stress in a unique way. Surrounding yourself with the excitement of other people just fills me with more energy to continue." Fumiko sighed at us.

"You guys are so formal with describing. I like coming amusement parks for exactly those reasons and more. Here I have so much freedom to do whatever I want! Where else can throw darts at a balloon and expect to win a prize? Or drop over 500 meters and then be put upside down in a loop-de-loop? Its fun! Being able to come here with my two friends just makes it all the better!"

My eyes widen looking as Fumiko was displaying her idol aura. Bright colours of yellow, orange and red radiated off of her in the shape of happy emojis and stick figures prancing around. It was almost like they were playing as I could imagine a faint cheerful laughter in the background. Without knowing we we're all smiling including the staff.

"It suits her don't you think?"

"Its the first time she's shown it. Of course it had to be when she's having fun with her friends." Fumiko was confused.

"What? What? What did I say?" I shook my head.

"Your idol aura is showing." She shot up, inspecting herself.

"What?! No way! My idol aura, finally! Ugh why can't I see it myself? What does it look like?" She shook my arm like a needy child. The camera person took a step back to capture all of us into the frame. The staff had a fond smile on their face.

"You know, Char-chan is known through the industry to have mostly solo promotions. What made you two come along today?" Fumiko quickly sat back down to continue the interview.

"I may have made a bad impression on Char-chan that I wanted to make up for. I've spent so long admiring Char-chan that my vision of her got blurred to be perfect. I wanted to use today as a chance to see her in a different light. One that wasn't what I wanted to see but the true version of her." Char blushed as Fumiko friendly wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"What about you Suzukawa-san?" I covered my mouth as I finished chewing.

"My reason is a bit more selfish than Fumiko's. I came because I wanted to make sure that these two became friends. Before today we hanged out once it was one of the most awkward situations I was ever in." The staff were intrigued.

"How is it selfish to want to see them become friends? It sounds like a nice offer to be the bridge between them." I smiled at the two who were also interested in the question.

"If I were to describe Char-senpai in one word it would be 'goal'. Not only as the Starlight Queen but as an idol I feel that Char-senpai's skills and personality fit the image to a t. She is the representation towards everyone as a final goal. Then there's Fumiko who can't see the end. Her learning rate is exponential that she can push through an obstacle with a new type of method. A friendship between someone that is the end and someone that can't see the end. I wanted to ensure that it wasn't a missed opportunity."

In reality it started out with getting them together because of our performance. But when thinking about hoe they can get along I realized that they had a lot of strengths that could help the other. Fumiko lack professionalism while Char was still a lone wolf in the business. These two together could push each other past their limits.

"Don't I have such a cute kouhai? I think its up to me to show off a little then." She took a quick bite of her hot dog then cleaned the corners of her mouth

"The stage is ready whenever you want Char-chan." The staff informed her. She stood up brushing her outfit.

"If you call me your goal, then watch me carefully." Her confidence made my heart race.

* * *

I stood next to Fumiko near the stage. A crowd of the park's guests gather around with the sudden announcement that the Starlight Queen would be performing. A perfect way to finish the day and the recording.

The Aikatsu system took over transforming into the **Sunny Park Stage**. A classic for Soleil to use as the bright colours and backdrop enticed excitement. Char came onto the stage in **Angely Sugar's** **Argyle Lovely Coord.** Char made eye contact with us giving us a wink.

A rare card. Aunty Ran only used those when the event is special. It assumed me to see that Char was actually trying to impress us. Not that the **Argyle Coord** is a desperate choice to show off. Picking **Lovely** over the **Heartful** and **Blue** versions made a nice contrast to the stage. It suited her cute image with a pop feeling.

"Look at that Fumiko she's what you call in the animal kingdom, asserting dominance." Fumiko ignored me as the music started playing.

 _CHA CHA CHANCE muteki no ikioi de_ She stood at the left side of the stage

 _CHA CHA CHANCE tsuyoki no sono iki de_

 _kyou made no ah mainichi ni sayonara wo tsugeru wa_ She gave out a large jump before sprinting to the other side

 _CHA CHA CHANCE dore dake kawatte mo_

 _CHA CHA CHANCE kawarazu miteite ne_

 _kira kira no kono saki no michi wo aruku wa anata to ne_ She waved her hand side to side to the beat of the music going back to the center. She spun once then brought out her idol aura to fill the empty spaces. A stage presence that took up all that the eyes could see.

 _yohou hazurete taiyou sansan._ She took advantage of the Aikatsu system to have little suns pop out next to her to match the lyrics.

 _kaikei goukei 777 nana nana nana en_

 _kore ga imamo moodo na no_ She tilted her head side to side

tsuki ga futatsu yo tsuki makuri yo nan demo kanau wa Her smile was bright as the music raised in volume. The crowd was getting hyped as they felt the energy coming from her.

 _CHA CHA CHANCE kiseki ni kiri nukete_

 _CHA CHA CHANCE kyouteki sokono kete_

 _kyou kara no ah mainichi wo gekiteki ni kaeru wa_

 _CHA CHA CHANCE dore dake kawatte mo_

 _CHA CHA CHANCE kawari wa inakutte_

 _kirakira no kono saki no michi wo aruku no anata yo ne_ To end off her performance she pulled off a Angel Arrow Special Appeal making the crowd scream until the finale.

* * *

Char stepped out of portable Aikatsu dressing station with a bit of sweat still on her face. Fumiko gave her a water bottle which she gratefully took. "You know I think the best on stage. I know exactly the stage I want to sing with you guys. Angel Snow and Start Dash! What do you think?"

Fumiko grabbed both of our hands shaking them hard. "I love it!"

"Let's do this then."

* * *

Trivia: So the bubble tea place that they went to was inspired by my workplace Happy Lemon. All the drinks that they brought were real drinks and the most popular drinks that we sell. The Passionfruit Green tea that Momo ordered is a drink that we recommend getting the minimum amount of sugar added because we've had a bunch of people complain about it being too sweet. Even the ad is a real thing that is played on repeat at my store. Not sure if it's available online or at every location but maybe stop by one and maybe I'll be the worker who knows.


	16. Model Crepes

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR ANY SONGS USED

*Idol Activity by Aikatsu

Shouta's POV

I clicked the submission on my Aikatsu phone to submit my application for this audition. I bit my lip seeing the confirmation of the received. 'Maybe I should have run this by Momo-san. This is way bigger than the last one I did.'

I took deep breathes to calm myself. I tried not to squirm in my seat. 'There's no taking it back now. Stop overthinking Shouta. I can do this.'

I heard the class door open with a bright 'good morning' burst through. I jumped still not used to how Fumiko would greet everyone in the morning. Momo said a more silent version taking her seat next to me. "Good morning Shouta-kun."

"Good morning Momo-san. How did Fumiko-san's plan for Takahashi-senpai work out?" She placed her bag onto the table.

"Surprisingly well. It took a lot of out of me but the results were favourable. Maybe we can watch the episode together when it's released." She leaned in closer to me causing me to move backwards in retraction. Her gold eyes looking over me. "Are you nervous about something?" The tension in my shoulders eased at her question.

"I'm that obvious?" She sat back to give me my space back.

"Reading your expressions is a lot easier for me than with other people. Usually when you're nervous you pace. But the way your leg keeps bouncing is another indicator. Is something wrong?" I shook my head.

"N-not really I just um I signed up for an audition. That's all."

"That's great. What for?" I handed her my phone not being able to answer. She opened my audition app, widening her eyes at the most recent one.

"The Pon-Pon Crêpe campaign?! This is an amazing opportunity." She grinned handing my phone back. I shakily took it still seeing the promotion on the screen.

"You think so? I saw the amount of people signing up and it makes me feel intimidated. Do you think I have a chance?

"May I return your question with another question?"

She propped her head up looking me in the eyes. "G-go ahead."

"What are your thoughts on Pon-Pon Crepes?" 'An audition type question?'

"Uh I don't have it that often. I'm not too sugar crazed as you are but... You know how I can be pretty shy? So before my brother and I would hang out and do random things. I don't know if we were as close as Fumiko-san and her siblings but we would go out every once in a while. Pon-Pon Crepes was a nice treat."

"Is that so?" She smiled slightly. Leaning back into her chair she started unpacking her things.

"The Pon-Pon Crepe campaign has been going on for generations. Its so well known that its kind of a guarantee that the new spokesperson will become one of the top idols. Its a furious competition mainly due to that. Though that only makes people more attracted to the event. Either way its a chance for you to get not only exposure but experience. I'll support you then."

I took a deep breath. With Momo's support I felt a bit relieved. She, out of everyone, knew what it takes to make people shine. "Can I ask for advice for what to do next?"

She rubbed her chin. "Hmm the most basic route would be to ask Aunty Aoi. As a past Pon-Pon representative she is in the best position to know what the judges are looking for. However, for you I think that the best person for you to talk to is Snapshot."

"Snapshot? As an in Hayate-san? Why him?" It's not that I was against the idea of him helping me but it as strange that he would be the first person that Momo would recommend to me over Headmistress Aoi.

"For one thing familiarity. Aunty Aoi isn't necessarily intimidating but you're not entirely comfortable with her either. For you to properly learn off of someone there has to be a sense of understanding between the two. Snapshot knows you well enough to know what parts of you to emphasize to make you stand out."

I nodded understanding that part. In terms of how close everyone was, second to Momo would be Hayate. As roommates we got to know each others quirks and were able to adapt to each others liking. "Then for second?"

"His experience. As a model he's worked in similar situations. The use of putting a model for product placement is because models are the best at control. Control over their body, facial expressions and overall presences. You've seen him at work. Look at enough examples and you can see the difference from an idol to a model representative. His knowledge will help you a lot. You're lucky he's both a runway and photo shoot type model."

"There's a difference?" She sighed patting my head.

"That's for another day. For now, focus on the photo shoot type. Actually, why not kill two birds with one stone? Starting in the mid-1800's, modelling was first recorded when a fashion designer in Europe-" Momo was cut off when the morning bell rang signalling us we have about a minute until class starts. She pouted not being able to continue her mini history lesson. Though knowing her it could have turned into a whole lecture.

I placed my phone into my bag. "Momo-san, you're not sugar coating anything to boast my confidence, right? You actually think that I have a shot with this big audition?"

"Each audition is a learning experience. How you are able to take in Snapshot's teachings is ultimately decided by you. How you train by yourself is decided by you. I believe that you do have a chance. That goes for your competing idols. No one has an advantage over the other because in the end, the judges will be the ones to pick the campaign representative. I'm not sugar coating that."

"Then what would make me stand out?" The corners of her mouth raised a little.

"Do not fret Shouta-kun. It's not just Snapshot's experience that I recommended him for you. There's another reason why I know he would know you best." Mr. Suzukawa walked in to start the class before I could question her intentions.

* * *

I read the text message leading me to the front gates. "Dobu-kun!"

I caught Hayate waving at me from inside his car. I quickly paced to him as he opened the door for me. He shuffled to the other seat giving me some room to sit. I buckled in my seat belt as RIka started driving off. "Thank you for letting me come."

"It's no problem. I don't really know why Momo-chan would recommend me to be suitable for helping with your audition but I'll try my best to. Are you sure you want to watch me do a photo shoot though? They can get a bit boring if you're not the one modelling." I shook my head remembering the last time I watched him.

"Not entirely true. Besides, Momo-san said something along the lines about how you having experience as a model can help me out so I think watching you would be helpful. Ah there was something that I wanted to about modelling though."

"I can't guarantee that I would know all the answers about modelling but shoot."

"Earlier today, Momo-san mentioned that you counted as both a photo shoot and runway model. What's the difference? And then there was a difference in professional models and idol models too?"

"Oh that's kind of something that you need to experience yourself. Of course, there's the basics where a photo shoot model only does mainly advertisements and runway models focus on catwalks. And overall a professional model's compared to an idols bodies are different along with how they choose to show off whatever they're modelling. The best way to get it would be an example but what I'm doing today will be more professional photo shoot type. Today's not really that great of an example."

"So you can't really explain it?"

"Not really. Oh wait." He took out his Aikatsu phone typing in a few things. "There's a few examples that I could pull up to show it. There's some limitations on recordings during runways but some are allowed. One of my favourite role models, Shibuki Ran, was really top level modelling and idol."

He handed me his phone at a regular search engine for Shibuki Ran's promotions. She modeled for countless amounts of perfume ads, healthy food initiatives and a few mascot toys. "Shibuki-chan is kind of like me. We both started out as models that eventually became idols at Starlight. I'm not saying that you can't be both but there are sometimes when choosing between the two makes for a better outcome."

Even without Hayate telling which ones he thought were more idol based vs model based, I found myself already being able to tell. There was a certain difference in how she posed between advertisements depending on what it was. With something like her perfume ads, I focused on the perfume container. I looked at it like a regular bottle but, not caring for design, I found it to be like Shibuki was the accessory. She complimented the overall impact of the product but she didn't so that she was the center.

Then was her comparison to her posing with the mascot. The aesthetic was different from alluring and charming to cute and energetic. The main thing was that in this one I could see both her and the mascot together. I could see how the contrast was not just because the way of the photo shoot's format but in how Shibuki was able to know when the attention shouldn't be on her. With a mascot, you want the idea that the person is enjoying the product. With the perfume, you want the idea that there's a certain presence to it that can be transfers to the owner.

As a professional model the target was never on her to be beautiful. It was to make anything she possessed to be the center of everything. When as a idol model she included herself in the overall image that I couldn't help but feel that she was made for that item. It also made me feel happy seeing her like that. Like if I owned it I could be in her place.

"See what I mean? You can't explain it with only words. It wouldn't do justice."

"Yeah, Shibuki-san is something else. I've seen a few of her works here and there. Actually focusing on it and seeing a bunch at once is incredible." He took his phone back, nodding a bunch.

"What I like most about Shibuki-chan is that she knows herself how to self direct. Often we would get instructions on what the director wants but you can tell from her pictures that those were her own actions. To be able to know how everything would turn out in the end and fix it yourself. To be able to act on your own. That's the kind of model that I want to be like." It was obvious that Hayate was a passionate model by the way he spoke.

"Don't sell yourself short though, Hayate-kun. When you met the director even they were surprised by how you can tell that those weren't their guidance." Rika said from the driver's seat.

"And like I told them, you can tell because there are photos that she has that only the model would be able to feel would look better in terms of how the clothes and/ or product would flow. A director could tell what angle makes the key points stand out. The model is the only one that can see/feel the little things. It's also up to the model to cover up any mishaps that can't be allowed to be seen on camera. The best way is to not let them know or else their focus will go towards it. That leaves the model to figure it out themselves. That's how Shibuki-chan works."

I looked at Hayate, realizing that he was the real deal. It wasn't just because he's been a model for so long. He actually knew a lot more than I would have imagined going into a photo shoot. For him to even analyze Shibuki Ran down to the tiniest details was incredible. And according to Rika, this wasn't a common thing. 'Pon-Pon Crepe campaign is a photo shoot based program so if I learn even an tenth of what he knows, it would make me feel better.'

* * *

I stood quietly next to Rika who was talking on the phone with someone. Since Rika was the only one that I knew here, besides Hayate who was in the middle of the shoot, I followed her around like a duckling. She didn't comment on it much just sparing me a glance every once in a while. I would still be watching Hayate while he working but I didn't get any closer with the idea that I could get in the way.

"Hey Dobu-kun, you want to try modelling?" I internally jumped when I heard Hayate call for me. He was still standing in front of the backdrop but had a make-up artist with him. I looked around the set to see that people already had their attention on me.

"Um I don't think I should. I mean I couldn't possibly interrupt anything. I'm really fine with watching." I respectfully refused.

"Nonsense child! You shouldn't miss up this opportunity. If Ceasire-kun is modelling with you, then it wouldn't be a problem. Stylist department, would you get him set-up?" I was pulled away at the call of the director's orders. People presented me with a few pieces of clothes, quickly checked my sizing and was even trying to style my hair. They didn't put a lot of make-up on me neither wanting to be 'natural'.

I was somehow transformed by these people. My school uniform was inside my bag and I was in some designer clothes. I was somewhat matching Hayate's winter look. "Oh Dobu-kun, you ready?"

"No I don't think I am. I've never modeled before. I don't know what to do." Hayate came up to me, dragging me onto the set.

"Don't worry about that. The director and I will tell you how to act." He sat me down on a white box, straightening my back. "The key thing for any shoot is to understand the overall image. Looking at our clothes what do you think is our goal to represent?"

He stood a bit further from me showing off his clothes. His hands were in his pockets opening up his jacket taking a slow step back. "Winter? Why are we even modelling for winter when its almost Fall?"

"We do that because we in the fashion business always have to be on top of things. If we were having a photo shoot in the current season, by the time everything is done, we would be half way done through the time. But you weren't only styled just with the idea of winter. Look at your outfit compared to mine. See a difference?" I sat on the edge of my box to stretch out my legs and arms.

I dressed in a simple a cool blue sweater covered by a gray, not too puffy, jacket. They had matched it with a pair of black jeans and belt. Tied it all together with a nice pair of dark brown boots and a belt with a shiny silver buckle. Hayate was wearing something a bit brighter. With a long white, slim jacket and gray jeans, it showed off his somewhat taller form than me. His beige turtle neck complimented his bright blond hair underneath a dark gray hat. His shoes were brown but lighter than mine, kind of a chestnut I think.

"You have lighter colours and it looks a bit more breathable."

"Good. Stylists have to compliment all parts to a model including their natural features. My hair and eyes are on a lighter aspect that you don't really see me in a lot of darker palettes. They're pretty distinct when I'm in those themes. But with a winter theme, it may be overkill with the white slash snow back though." He played with a strand of his hair that was sticking out from underneath his hat.

I raised my hand to see if I try to pick at my hair to see how it matched with my outfit when I remembered that the stylist had already done something to my hair. My eyes roamed around to see if there was something reflective that I could look at. That's when I turned directly to face the camera lens. I didn't even realize it was pointing at me until the shutter went off. I snapped out my whatever type of trance I was in, accidentally throwing myself off my box.

The entire set started snickering but in a soft way that wouldn't make me feel bad. "Well looks like your plan can't work anymore Ceasire-kun. I managed to get a few good shots though if you want to see it."

"Plan?" Hayate offered me his hand pulling me back to my feet.

"Another thing when modelling. It's to be natural." He gave a small laugh. "I was trying to distract you for a little bit. I guess it won't work now that you're more aware of the camera."

He led the way to the monitors. Of course his images caught my attention first. But because of the contrasting colours in our outfits, I stood out as a whole. I was kind of a blur on the side of the image that you couldn't ignore because the colours made it demand attention as to what this strange difference was.

Not even realizing it, the director was taking pictures since the moment Hayate had sat me down. My face was unconsciously straight that the clothes made me seem kind of cool. When I sat near the end of the box I was able to show off more of the outfit. My legs were stiff from the position that Hayate had put me in but I had moved on my own it changed the way I looked. I had stretched them out to be able to closely examine them like Hayate asked me to not even knowing I was relaxing. Then when I raised my arm to check on my hair I noticed that my hair was styled to more ruffled. With my arm up it looked like I had changed my hair style myself. My eyes wandering everywhere with the final picture being my directed gaze.

Without my attention on trying to focus on the camera, I was solely looking at Hayate. That's how my gaze was looking forward but still distracted. I didn't need his full introductions to do anything. He set me up in the basic position, letting my body relax as we went further into the discussion. The questions were what drove the whole shoot though. Because even though the theme was winter, we were having a normal conversation. Hayate was still modelling beside me but not in a way that would outshine me too much.

It was like our clothes were keeping us warm as we carried on a conversation outside. Even with a 'cool' image around me I wasn't trying too hard to appeal to the brighter dressed Hayate. The two themes were contrasting one another but they somehow blended well with our connection. I looked at the image as a whole than a rookie and professional model. "What do you think Dobu-kun? Your first time modelling."

"T-they actually don't seem bad. Its mostly because of you that I was able to get a few pictures in." I jumped when I remembered that the director was beside us.

"Hmm they are pretty good. I have to admit I was a bit worried but you two hit off each well. Unfortunately, we didn't get enough shots to be able to release it in the magazine. Sorry about that kid."

"N-no I understand! Thank you for letting me get this chance. I-If its okay I get a copy of the photos too?"

"Sure, I'll send them RIka-san's way when they're all touched up." I bowed to him as Hayate moved to take more photos.

When the shoot was in its wrapping up stages, I stood next to Hayate as they were cleaning up the set. He was relaxing next to me watching the workers cleaning up. We were just waiting for Rika to finish up a few things with the director. "Did you have fun today?"

"Y-yes, thank you for letting me model with you today. You really didn't have to. I'm surprised that I was able to actually get some photos that look nice."

"Come on Dobu-kun, have some fate in me. I know what I'm doing and I know how to make you stand out in your audition. All the other rookie models wouldn't be able to do anything compared to you." I was confused for a second when I realized that I wasn't auditioning for a photo shoot in particular. That was a part of the job later on but its wasn't the premises it. At least not for the audition portion.

"I think you're misunderstanding. My audition is for the new Pon-Pon campaign. It'll be the standard that I perform a song. Momo-san recommended you because models have more control over themselves." He didn't say anything. Somehow there was this tension off of him.

"Did you say the Pon-Pon campaign?"'

"Y-yeah. Is there something wrong with it?"

"No, no but you do know that the Pon-Pon campaign is for girls, right?" I wasn't expecting that. I thought he would say something about how high demand it was.

"W-well isn't that because male idols are new? The recommended didn't say anything about gender that I didn't think much about it. Why should something like crepes be solely for girls anyways?"

"It's not that Dobu-kun. Yeah, you can stand out but is this really the kind of representation that you want? It's sort of embarrassing, don't you think? I just don't think that you should be trying for something like this in your first year if anything." In his eyes was doubt. He was saying to me that this was a bad idea.

I mean I already had my doubts about it when I intentionally signed up but not because of my gender. I only worried because it was a big deal. The Pon-Pon Campaign was one of the most well known titles that someone could own. It wasn't just a title that meant that you were able to pass a one-time audition. It was a title that meant that you have secured a position that you would hold for one year. It was a secured spot that as a first year is basically impossible to get.

Why was it only my gender that was throwing him off? "Hayate-san, I'm sorry but I think I want to at least try. I really don't see the problem if all the past representatives were girls. But I understand if you don't want to help me to embarrass myself."

Maybe Momo was wrong. She was right about this being a great opportunity but I guess Hayate wasn't the best person to help me. He was no doubt a great model that knew his limits in how to control someone. This photo shoot showed that to me. I wanted to trust in him because Momo said that he would know me best. And they both did. They knew who I was comfort around, how to take my mind off of things, the best sides of me.

So why were the two of them on the opposite sides for this?

* * *

I practiced on my own then. No Hayate or Momo by my side. It wasn't that hard. A simple song and dance, shouldn't be that bad.

A few days past and only three remaining until the audition. It was a lot harder than it looked. Coincidentally the song was _Idol Activities_ which was the girls Starlight audition song. Practicing it out myself I realize what Hayate meant by saying that this was kind of a girl-ish type of audition. The dance more so was feminine than I thought. I watched Momo's practicing when were preparing for your entrance audition, but I wasn't the best dancer that I could tell her what she could improve in besides fluidity in her movements.

I could say that I was improving on my own but it didn't feel right. The two of them were incredible that they were able to help people like Fumiko and I. They were both rookies like me but they could watch over someone else's progress and give tips. Momo had a more strategic way by looking at the details that she knew were most important and Hayate was detailed attention to see that every part blended well together. It wasn't like I couldn't practice without them. It was just strange that someone wasn't here to pin point everything for me.

I sat on the practice room floor to take a quick breather. At least my stamina had gotten better since enrollment. I heard a knock on the door that me stand up again. Momo peaked her head in letting me sit back down. "Oh fancy meeting you here, Shouta-kun. I was wondering who was practicing this late."

I checked the time seeing that it was almost to midnight. She came to sit next to me when I noticed that she was in her own track suit. She must have been have just finished her practice with Char. "So how's the progress?"

"It's coming along. I'm slowly getting the hang of everything. Hayate-san even let me model next to him during one of his photo shoots. Would it be okay to show you?" She nodded seemingly proud. I grabbed my Aikatsu phone from my bag, searching for the photos that Rika had sent me. I gave her my phone letting her swipe through the images.

"You both look great. The stylists worked well to make you guys compliment each other. It's impressive how well you two bounce off of each other. Are you guys perhaps talking while the pictures were being taken?"

"You can tell?"

"Of course, how else would you get pictures where you're not freaking out? It's a classic trick that you have to take nervous people off the mind of the topic. Snapshot truly knows you well. Speaking of which, where is Snapshot?" She looked around the room not seeing anything relating to him.

I avoid eye contact as I haven't told her about Hayate not willing to help me. In class, we would tell each other only little things. Like how we were doing, our plans for the day. Momo wasn't the type for small talk, not that it bothered me. It was like a pattern for us. Honestly, if our conversation didn't start with that, I would be more afraid. She was a level-headed and always considered how I would take to any extreme changes.

"About that, Hayate-san said that he doesn't think he would be able to help me out." I avoided eye contact out of embarrassment. She was the one to recommend him but he was scared away by the audition choice.

"Oh sorry about that. I guess I should have considered that he would be busy. Though you don't seem to be struggling that much. See I told you Snapshot was just a precaution for you. You're still managing by yourself it seems." I bit my lip knowing that he was not helping me not because of his work but due to my choice. I couldn't have left it at her assumption. It wasn't true after all.

"Um Hayate-san can't help me because he thinks that the Pon-Pon Campaign is too girly that I shouldn't audition. He thinks that I'm kind of setting up a bad look for myself. I told him that it's fine though! Don't take it the wrong way! He's just looking out for me and like you said I'm okay on my own." I panicked at the glare in her eyes.

It was the first time that I've seen her like this. She changed the moment I said that the campaign was too girly. "Do you happen to know Snapshot's location right now?"

"H-he should be in our room." I felt that I had shouldn't said that when she stood up.

"Can you wait here for a minute?" I just nodded as she walked out of the room in a such a stiff manner. I sat there unable to process what had happened. She took a few minutes before she knocked on the door again. This time with Hayate behind her. He was in his pajamas equally confused as I was.

"Sit next to Shouta-kun." He rushed to my side. He looked at me giving me a message with his eyes gesturing to how flustered Momo was. I shook my eyes back at him not knowing myself.

"Snapshot." We stopped communicating to look at Momo. "Can you define what you mean by the Pon-Pon Crepe Campaign is a girly type? Can you, also, indicate why it would be so wrong for Shouta-kun to participate when it was never stated specifically what gender was preferred?"

He resembled a deer caught in the headlights. "Um just to clarify I said what I said because its too risky. The Pon-Pon Crepe representative has always held the title of Pon-Pon Girl. That right there is an indication that guys wouldn't really have a chance. You two are known for breaking standards and all but you guys need to consider that you shouldn't challenge things. Maybe in the future Pon-Pon can be uni-sex like some clothes but we don't have to try all of it when we're first years."

"I really don't want to hear something like that from someone in your position." She was in complete disbelief.

"What do you mean by my position? You mean as a model? Yes, my job is known for breaking gender stereotypes but that's not necessarily me trying to change anyone's way of thinking." Momo crouched in front of him

"I mean as a male student under Aunty Aoi." She was serious. I felt my breath get hitched seeing her like this.

"Momo-san, please calm down. You have to explain yourself a bit more. What does Headmistress Aoi have to do with this?" She sighed relaxing herself, finally.

"Sorry I was just wholly embittered by what Snapshot was voiced." I didn't quite understand but knew that she was mad at Snapshot for saying that the Pon-Pon Crepes were girly. That was understood enough. "I'm going to give you two a brief lesson about why this is making me gelastic. You both heard about Aunty Aoi being called the Idol Professor before right?"

We both nodded. "She was offered the position of Headmistress years ago because of this. She was the prime candidate for it after all. But no matter what, she was determined to have male idols the very first thing under her. The uniforms you guys wear, the idea that **City Lights** and other brands are willing to have male muses, your brand-new dorms, researching for years to see if you guys would have a chance in the market. This is only the top layer of what I know. As first year you guys are the first ones to try her new rules. When you say that we shouldn't be bold because of you guys are a new type of idol..."

"You think that Hayate-san was disregarding the work that Headmistress Aoi put in." I finished her sentence for her when she slowly got quiet. For her to witness someone, that was like a mother to her, works, it was reasonable as to why she was upset with Hayate. Headmistress Aoi put in a lot of effort for us male idols and Hayate was essentially giving up before he tried.

"Of course I knew the potential prejudice when Shouta-kun first showed me it. That's going to be the case for a lot of your future jobs. I thought that if anyone could prove those wrong it would be him. That's why I didn't believe it when Snapshot gave up on him after he showed that he admires Shouta-kun."

"W-what do you mean? I still admire Dobu-kun. He's an amazing musician and idol. I just thought he should take it slow."

"Shouta-kun before telling you my advice, what did I ask you?" I paused to think back to class. It was quite a while ago that I couldn't remember the exact words.

"You asked me what I thought about the Pon-Pon Crepes and I told you about me and my brother." She nodded.

"Snapshot has his charisma, Fumiko her empathy, even Char-senpai and Takahashi-senpai have their obsession but that's a different story. I asked that because I wanted to know your position on it. Because to me, the reason I admire Shouta-kun more than anymore is his passion." I felt myself blush. "When I heard your answer, I accepted it because you weren't just auditioning for the attention of becoming the first male representative. You were doing it because you actually supported the brand."

"Then what about me?" Hayate questioned. She turned to him with a kind look.

"You saw it too didn't you? The reason why you invited us to your debut stage? The reason you got scared at seeing him song write? Those are all instances that Shouta-kun was expressing who he truly was. As his friend you got him to survive a real photo shoot. I told Shouta-kun that it wasn't just because you were a model that I chose you to help. In my eyes, if you took his passion, polished it by someone that already knows how to shine then what is the social norm to that?" She handed the two of us my phone that I forgot to take back earlier. On it was the photos I was showing her earlier.

The two of us were silent. "I could have easily told Shouta-kun to talk to the teachers for a lesson. Aunty Aoi as the past representative, Bepp-sensei is a world recognized dancer and Dad has years of musical training. All teachers here have a criterion to be able to teach the students here to the best of their abilities. Snapshot was my first instinct in the end. Only because you and I know exactly what makes him, him. That's what any judge will look for. That's how he'll win."

She gave out a small chuckle. "Don't get me wrong though. This is a first year audition. They aren't looking for perfection. So even if you get zero training from someone else, doesn't mean you'll fail. If Snapshot was just busy rather than be close minded, you were right to practice by yourself. I know since I introduced you to Aikatsu you always had me by your side that. Now that I'm practicing with Char-senpai, you panicked to find someone to watch over you. You don't need it. Have confidence in yourself and learn your way."

Momo had complimented the idols that I knew but completely forgot about the one that I admired the most. Suzukawa Momo had her intelligence above everyone else. It wasn't just her textbook like mind. She had trouble understanding actions without a backup but she always looked for what was best for others.

"I'm going to turn in for the night. You two decide what you want." She stretched her arms above her head giving out a small yawn, walking out of the room.

I sat with Hayate for a little while. "So um how did Momo-san bring you out?"

He chuckled a little. "She threw a rock against our window."

"We're on the second floor though. How can she do that?"

"I don't know either really. That's why I went to check out the sound. She said something math related and finding the right momentum to make a loud enough impact on the window without damaging it since girls aren't allowed in the boys' dorm. Her mind can really be used in a scary way if she wanted. I do have to admit I do feel bad for Headmistress Kiriya. I didn't think much about how it must have been to make us a debut platform. Do you still want me to help you out?"

There was a part of me that I wanted to accept his offer again. Yet there was something else in Momo's words that kept me from doing so. It was that fact that she believed in me even without Hayate's help. She was always like that. She had confidence in me when I never did. She didn't want to hold my hand through every process thinking that I was fully capable by myself. "I think I can manage on my own. I still have 3 days and I'm slowly getting it. I want to test what Momo-san sees in me."

He paused for second looking at me. "I don't know how I could forget that passion. Your aura always gives me chills."

* * *

I stood on the stage with nothing but my stage uniform with me. 'There's so many people watching. Of course there's going to be! Why can I see the audience though?! My entry audition wasn't this brightly lit.'

In my mind I compared Momo's stage to mine. 'The guys got a handicap with a dimmer stage...The girls have it pretty hard too then.' I thought of the image of Momo and Fumiko being on the stage without fear. Somehow it made me fill with energy. Like I was competing with them.

 _Sā! Ikō, hikaru mirai he hora, yume wo tsurete_ I was caught off guard by how lower tone I was compared the other female idols that were before me. That couldn't stop me though.  
 _Pocket ni hitotsu, yūki nigirishime hashiri dashita ano michi_ I tried my best to take small steps as if I was jumping on the spot  
 _Shiroi shirts, kaze nabiki_  
 _Toberu yo doko made mo_ The key to this dance was to be bouncing. By bouncing I was able to make sure I wasn't overpowering any of the steps. I had to be softer than my types of audition.

 _Tama ni wa naki mushi no kumo_  
 _Taiyō ga warai tobasu_  
 _Nakama datte toki ni wa, rival shinkenshōbu yo._ Overall the dance steps weren't harder or easier than the boy's song. It was a different type of difficult where girls were more expected to be more energetic and guys powerful. It was fun do both!

 _Idol (Idol), Katsudou! (Katsudou!)_  
 _Go Go Let's go! (Go Go Let's go!)_  
 _Goal ni mukatte_

 _Hashiritsuzukeru kimi ga mieru_  
 _Fight kureru!_ Looking over the audience cheering me I found myself admiring the bright lights that let me see them. Even if I lost, to experience standing on a stage like this was amazing.

* * *

I stood among the girls waiting for the announcement of the winner. Being the only guy was kind of intimating when we were bunched up in the waiting room. The judges had just taken the stage to announce the winner and I could hear the girls' nervous whispering. I held my hands together watching the screen as one took the mic.

"Thank you for waiting. I'm sure you're all excited to find out the new representative. But before that I would like to the time to acknowledge all the participants. For years this tradition of finding the new Pon-Pon Crepe campaign has been going on and we'd like to thank all those auditioning and watching. However, as we continue to grow as a company we must adapt to times as well. That's why we'd like to invite Higawari Shouta-san to the stage."

My feet were glued to floor until some of the girls kept ushering me to go. I kept tripping over my feet having the staff telling me where to go in a rush. I slowly walked up the stairs to the stage where the judges stood. I first bowed to them when I was handed a mic. "Shouta-san you took a big risk today. Seeing you perform in person was eye opening with your energy and skill. I hope that you can bring that kind of passion into our products as well."

I felt myself build up with pride. I shakily raised my mic to say something when they continued. "However, there was one problem though. Another audition today happen to catch our eyes as well. When all the judges tried to come to a decision there wasn't a set winner. So continuing with breaking tradition, this year we're going with two representatives! Can we please welcome Inoue Kikyo-san!"

The name send shivers to me as I recognized the brown hair walking up the stairs. Inoue Kikyo was a first year like me but was a part of Dream Academy. She was originally going to be recording the sample for _Blue Moon_ but when I found that she was unfit, she stormed out of the studio. Not before badmouthing Momo by saying she'll never be acknowledged as an idol.

She stood beside me with a smile on her face as if nothing happened between us. "And there you have it folks! The two Pon-Pon Crepe representatives, Higawari Shouta and Inoue Kikyo!"

* * *

Trivia: I got writer's block on what was suppose to be this chapter on finally preparing for Char-chan's concert with Momo and Fumiko. So I was going through my usual K-pop things when one of them posted a video of the behind the scenes of their first solo magazine shoot. And I don't know how but looking at it made me think of Hayate and how he could teach Shouta and Shouta would be breaking through that stereotype of Pon-Pon Crepes being for girls because I, also, read a comment that said the member looked pretty than some girls. So I thought of how Shouta could break a stereotype with his softer side.

On another note, if you like K-pop, I do too. A lot of the working in this story can be influenced by both Korean and Japanese idol systems. Specifically, this one was based off of NCT's Renjun's photoshoot. Watched it on repeat after I thought of its use for this chapter :). (Main groups I stan, INFINITE, LOVELYZ, NCT, SEVENTEEN, PENTAGON. Tell me if you have any suggestions or groups you like any language.)

Aipom4: Thank you. I really wanted to make sure that Momo's intentions were clear. She doesn't hate Ichigo or Naoto, she just wants to be different because of all the comparisons.


	17. Preparations

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU

Momo's POV

"And that's why Hiro-nii isn't allowed in the kitchen alone anymore." Char laughed loudly as Fumiko finished her story. I was absentmindedly listening as I was more focused on the booklet in hand. Char, from the front seat, leaned backwards in my direction.

"How is it Momo-chan?" I flipped through a few more pages.

"Overall its well planned. It still needs details sorted out today though since some plans that are kind of confusing. There's few other problems I want to bring up as well." I closed the booklet of the plans to Char's concerts.

"Are you sure its okay that I'm coming along? At least Momo can contribute to the conversation." Fumiko questioned beside me.

"Of course there is. It's still a secret that you two are performing with me but as featured guests you can still pitch in your ideas." Char reassured. I handed back the booklet to her as I had already made a mental note of everything that was inside it. Today we were going over last minute details of her concert, only a week was left.

"Momo-chan, this is my first solo concert, so I'm hoping you'll input as much as you can today. I'm kind of nervous that things won't go well. The most important thing is that my fans enjoy it." She handed me back her booklet. I hesitantly took it, holding it tightly.

"I'll try my best to." I hugged it close to me. To be honest, even though I've usually been the smartest when it comes to these kinds of situations, this week I wasn't. My partners were crazy powerful individuals.

Over our time together we had gotten way more comfortable with each other. Fumiko more so than I. She was the acting force that kept things from being quiet. After every practice that we had she was the one to crack a joke to relieve some of our exhaustion. Char was nothing short of her title though. She would monitor out every movement without any flaw in her being able to instruct us on how to fix it. On top of performing with us, she had a full hour concert to fill by herself. She really showed off how much one year or more of experience could differ a new idol.

Compared to those two, I didn't have that many merits besides my brain. That's why I have to really prove myself today.

"I believe in you Momo-chan. Charlotte wouldn't have agreed to letting you help me if she didn't truly think you were up to this. Even last night she seemed really excited to see how you would do today. Charlotte may not seem like it but she really likes to compliment people."

"I don't know if its right to ask this but how do you and Takahashi-senpai keep contact?" Fumiko shyly asked.

"I've heard stories about other people with split personality so just know that this is only one case. It's strange though since Charlotte has my memories but I don't have any of hers. So if I need to know anything she'll make a note on our phone. That's how we would interact most of the time. I was actually really surprised when she requested to have you two join me. I trust her more than anyone though."

"Well I'm honour the chance to perform with the both of you. Please don't take offence when I requested for Charlotte-senpai over you."

"Up bup bup, I haven't taken any offence but you still haven't earned my approval. Charlotte's deal was that after the concert I would be saying if you can perform with her. I have to admit I do want to see her on stage as well." She looked forward as we were pulling up to the building.

We went straight to the meeting room as one of the last few to arrive. We bowed respectfully to all the staff before taking our seats. I held tightly onto the booklet as the meeting was going to start soon.

I took deep breathes watching the multiple presentations happen. There were slides filled with multiple pictures of the venue, merchandise, outfits, stages, everything needed for a concert. These were run by professionals. People who have done concerts a hundred times more than I have even been.

"Momo-chan, you said that you had a few suggestions. What do you think?" Char directed the attention onto to me as the last slide finished. I cleared my throat first.

"There's only a few issues that I thought of. Can you, please, go back to the slide of stage design?" They went back a few slides to the main stage design. This was the stage that was going to be used throughout the entire concert. Mostly its kind of a stage that Char would have when she's not performing. An intermission stage where she would get a second to catch her breath and interact with the fans.

"It's too blue in my opinion." The room went silent in awkwardness. All preparations made for today had been carefully thought through in order to be finalized for next week. For me to bluntly state it as a person who was only introduced to the content today, it was rude to put simply.

The stage backdrop had her name Char written out with thin, line calligraphy in a light blue matching her hair with a light shadow behind it. On the two side screens were the visuals of falling blue and white sparkles. They were probably going to replace these with live video feed of Char when she was speaking to the audience. The only problem was that from the beginning or anytime that Char isn't on stage, these was the set that was going to displayed.

"I must rephrase myself. For Char-senpai, the colour on her isn't only blue. Her aura contains purple, pink, and white, she has the **Orchid Torte Coord** as her school dress, characteristically wears a violet hair pin that, sometimes, gets replaced on stage by another accessory. What I mean to say is that as only blue, it can be distracting or misleading. For our stage, at least, we plan on using our **Torte Coords** for the first song. None of which has any blue that it's drastic change in my mind. By combining more of her other colours, it shows that this concert truly belongs to Char-senpai."

I saw a few people nodding their heads, others still looking at the presentation in an effort to imagine it. "I agree with Momo-chan. Now that I think about if I stand in front of that screen, my hair can easily blend into it."

She gave out a tiny laugh at the thought. This lessen the tension in the room, letting the others open up to the idea. "She has a point. Maybe we could take something like her idol aura as the main focus then. Redesigning her name could be interesting as well that we could put it like a logo on some merchandise. It could be nice. I want to hear more."

I relaxed seeing them all agree in way or another. "There's only three other concerns that I have. One is the PV. It was recorded during a back set, if I were to take a guess. Correct me if I'm wrong though."

I was referring to the promotional video that was going to be played in between her stages. This would give her time to go backstage to change outfits. There were set two breaks over an hour and a half concert. As a soloist this didn't give her a lot of room to move much from schedule. That's why we had to plan out for everything.

The first PV, standing for promotional video, was going on after 5 six songs and before our stage. They had played it once just a few minutes ago to see if there were any glitches in editing. Since with all the plans that Char had, there couldn't a be a second wasted in trying to fix something. This one had a short video of her photo shoot for this concert. It was perfect for fans to be able to get, somewhat of an insider, on how the things worked behind the scenes.

"I think it would be interesting to cut in an interview. Even a voice-over would be suffice considering the time strain. A project showing Char-senpai's process coming up to this point of the concert wouldn't be right without the thoughts from her, herself. Yes, there an opportunity during intermission for her to speak out to the fans, but you have to think about timing. Often what happens is that idols will like to thank fans for taking their time out to their concerts. So we can combine her pre-thoughts and any thing she'll like to say to the PV and her feelings of gratitude to the concert."

"Oooo I like that. Honestly this was kind of boring since it was just instrumental music in the background. Char-chan has a really pretty voice not just for singing. Hearing her talk while watching her do a photo shoot would be like a double shot." Fumiko said finally pitching in something.

"You guys may have been able to pick this up but Fumiko-chan here is a fan of mine too. I should do as my fans would find interesting. If its not a problem for the video editors." We turned our attention to one the media managers.

"Hmm, it would require a simple cut-in. Though I think our team would find it easier with the voice-over option. This would let us play around with placement of where to implement the speaking. It would also save us the time needed to set up an interview setting. I do, however, want to leave it up to Suzukawa-san for the questions and recording."

"Me?" I was in shock that they asked for me.

"It was your idea. I'm sure you can come up with a few questions that would be matching the theme. We'll send you a copy of the video so that you can think more about that. Recording on your phone in a quiet room would be enough. End the end, if you don't think you can handle it then you can always tell us and we'll take it over again. How's that?"

"I'll try to come up with a few then. I'll try to send the questions to Char-senpai and the crew beforehand just to double check it again. Thank you for the opportunity."

"How about the next two problems?"

"Well the next one was actually something that Fumiko brought up. If you look at the concession stands, there's something that stood out to her. I'll leave it up to her to explain as this isn't something that I found."

Fumiko got caught up for a second when everyone was looking at her. Quickly she remembered what she had said in the car before I hand been handed the booklet. "I remember a few months ago Char-chan said that she was a really big advocate for healthy eating. Doesn't all the fast food and desserts kind of go against that? Like yeah it tastes good but with fans I've seen a lot of people try to eat healthier because of her. What if they go to the concert but since basic concert rules say no food entry, we can't bring our own snacks. All they have left is those food trucks beforehand."

"We can't really cancel the food trucks last minute. I can see what you're saying though. This one will be a bit more difficult to solve." I shook my head at one of the workers.

"Not as much as you think. We don't necessarily have to cancel on the planned food trucks and we don't have to arrange for a lot more to show up. Fumiko has openly admitted to calling them a nice treat, even it its just every once in a while that it won't throw anyone off too much. More options are just more welcoming. Starlight Academy chefs are always on top of healthy recipes and sudden changes. We can easily arrange for a few small bentos to be sold or ask for their advice on possibilities. Even in English speaking countries there is a saying that 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' as an one apple itself contains many natural fibers, sugars and has been proven clinically to be even boast diet. So something small like selling a few fruits is an improvement."

"I have to say that even though an idol has to take care of their diet, even we have times we have a few hamburgers here and there. It's all about balance. We can even tell the fans before coming to concert so that they aren't too hungry during the actual concert."

"That's right! Waiting for a concert can exhaust some people too. Queuing takes a lot of time if you don't go at an early time. Even then it can still be packed. We, fans, rely a lot on near by stores to manage through the day. Food and water is something we often worry the most about after all the ticketing and merch sales are got."

The main thing that prevented these workers from thinking all these things were their positions. They have to create a thousand concerts that they have the general idea of how things should go. They know that artists need time in between and so they set up an intermission. They know that fans will try to arrive at the venue early so they prepare everything in advance for everything to run smoothly. Yet, they didn't know the little details about Char like Fumiko and I did. I knew that Char's image and Fumiko knew all the information that has built up to that point. Every fandom and performer were different that even with professionals, there will always be adjustments.

"I'll try to look further into that. We should definitely inform the ones attending on the confirmed vendors so that if we can't figure out something in time, they can bring a few things themselves. Of course emphasizing as long as they don't bring anything into the venue." Fumiko seemed happy at that as a fan in that situation before.

"Last concern?"

"Oh this one I'm not even sure on." I opened the booklet that had all of Char's plans. I flipped to the page that had the set list with the coords listed next to them. I point to the song after our stage. "I may be imagining this but did you draw in a question mark, only to erase it?"

"Ah that. I was actually re-thinking my outfit for that stage. I don't think that I would able to get the outfit in time though. The one I wanted to change it to would be hard to get so I erased it."

"Nonsense! It's your first solo concert. You should be able to dress as you wanted. Changing it wouldn't impact us that much. What were you thinking about?" Char nervously laughed about that.

"Something from the new collection from **Magical Toy**." The room filled with nods and 'ahhhs' of understanding, including me. Fumiko leaned into me.

"What's wrong with that?" I leaned back in.

" **Magical Toy's** top designer is hard to get a hold of. He's never in one place for a long time that it's like chasing a wild goose. It's only because of that free spirit that makes his designs are so whimsical. Even muses have to go everywhere to talk to him. And that's only the tip. If it's something from his new collection it means that it hasn't been released to the public. Designers are very protected about new lines so showing it during a concert would be attenuated."

"I understand. It was just a thought. Since it's a pop type brand, it'll fit the song better and as a new design it'll definitely be something the audience has never seen before."

"Well why don't we ask him?" I chuckled a little at the workers' reactions. Fumiko was not bound by any logical safe means.

"As first years we have more free time on our hands to go exploring. We can try to talk to him. If Char-senpai still wants it that is." I offered. Char thought of it for a little. She blushed a little.

"If I can be a bit selfish, then yes. I wouldn't want to trouble the top designer though. I still have a coord planned for it. If he's adamant on revealing part of his line beforehand, then I'll accept that."

"Great. Then that settles all the concerns that I had to say. I'm sorry if I came on pushy." I gave a courtesy bow to them. They all shook their heads with small smiles on their faces.

"I'm actually impressed that you two were able to contribute. I expected nothing less than the best from the idols that Char-chan picked. She, herself, was a remarkable first year. Idols this year are going to be interesting to watch. I'm looking forward to the concert even more."

* * *

I sat on the park bench watching Fumiko run around with a few kids. She couldn't help herself as she fit in right them. Unfortunately, I had to recall her since our awaited guest was going to be coming soon.

"Fumiko, Charlotte-senpai said she's almost here!" She immediately froze in spot that the kids looked at her funny. She bid them a quick good-bye coming next to me.

"So I know that I said we should try the **Magical Toy's** top designer ourselves but do you really think its a good idea to be going with Takahashi-senpai. I'm mean she shares the face of the top idol; we wouldn't want to attract attention to ourselves." I ignored her obvious attempt to avoid Charlotte.

"That reminds me, I need to give you a mini disguise for today. We wouldn't want people to see us hanging out with Charlotte-senpai before our performance. And don't worry, I think you attract more attention than she will. She doesn't have a natural idol aura to attract people like you or Char do." I pulled out a mini hair brush and hair tie. I gestured for her to sit next to me on the bench. From the distance I could see Charlotte coming out of her car. I waved at her as Fumiko sat next to me.

"Afternoon Charlotte-senpai. How was your schedule?" I could see Fumiko visibly stiffen beside me.

"It was fine. Though I wish that Char would relax a bit. If you don't mind I'm just going to go the washroom before we get going."

"Go right ahead. I was just about to give Fumiko a little disguise so take your time." She nodded, heading to a nearby store. I took the hair brush to comb out the few knots in her hair. The moment I turned her around, she let out a large sigh.

"I don't get how you can be so relaxed around her. I always feel so..." She shook herself.

"Cold?" I put my brush back taking out a thin scarf out. "Well even I have to admit that I was like that when I first met her too. I'm pretty sure everyone was. She has a very strong presence. But it was because of the clip that you showed me that made me want to perform with her. That's why I learned not to be afraid of her."

I braided in the gray scarf into her long hair giving a darker look to her bright orange hair. I tied her hair with a regular hair tie snapping a quick picture so that she could look at. She was hesitantly touching at it. "How'd you do that?"

"Looked it up last night and asked to borrow some accessories from Snapshot. Your hair is pretty bright along with your personality. If we want to remain on the down low, its best to blend those qualities in." I watched her shake again. Knowing what that meant I didn't even bother turning around like her.

"Good timing. I have a small disguise for you as well." I took out a small case handing it behind me as I was taking out 2 hats. I felt her take it out of my hands.

"Thank you but there's no need. No one ever recognizes me." I set my bag aside, standing up.

"It doesn't hurt. I think it'll be best if you at least try opening that case though. If I may?" I showed her the light violet fur beret in my hands. She was a bit worried but allowed me to. First, I removed her usual violet flower bobby pin. I clipped the little flower to her shirt's pocket so that she would still have it on her. I fixed her hair a little, before putting on the small hat. I adjusted it so that it wouldn't fall off for when we started going. Once I finished she opened up the case that I gave her.

"Glasses?" She took out the thin black rimmed glasses. She looked at them for a bit noticing the plastic lens.

"They're purely for looks glasses. I guessed that you would want something that covered your eyes a little. They are the dead give away between you and Char-senpai. The beret is clearly to tie everything in." She looked shocked for a second before a light pink dust barely appeared on her face.

"I still don't understand you Suzukawa-san." I put on my black and white baseball cap, adjusting it so that I was most comfortable. I didn't have eye catching features like Charlotte and Fumiko besides my golden eyes. So just by wearing a hat that covered the top half of my face while being practical was the best option for me.

"I get that a lot. More about my vocabulary though. Do I have your approval?" She put them on and looked into her Aikatsu phone's reflection.

"You look really cute Takahashi-senpai!" Fumiko chimed in. I had a hypothesis about covering Charlotte's eyes. When I had first met her it was those teal eyes that made me nervous. I just had to cover them for Fumiko to ease up. Charlotte must have noticed that too.

"Shall we start our clown search then?"

"Is it really okay to call him a clown though? He's a top designer we have to be respectful, don't we?" Charlotte and I looked at each other before I chuckled a little.

"Marcel-san is a literal clown. One of the things he does is go around doing magic tricks to people so that they smile. He loves making people happy and you'll defiantly see that when we find him."

"Where do we start though? He could be anywhere."

"Well I talked to his secretary this morning before class. They said that we should just look in areas of loosely dense people. Also stay on the look out for random sparks of colour. I thought this park since its close by the office and has a lot of people after school time but doesn't seem like he's here. Anyway the wind takes us is the most probable. So Fumiko lead the way."

She didn't even question me as she spun in circle. She stopped facing one direction with a smile on her face. "I like this way."

"Okay, then off we go." I collected my bag off the bench following Fumiko's random choice.

I was getting a sense of deja vu again with having a somewhat silent Fumiko on one side of me and Charlotte on the other. Now that I think about it, Fumiko has never really talked to Charlotte. Meanwhile, Charlotte has all her memories of Fumiko from Char. 'Great, same situation different reason. This one is going to be a confounding dynamic.'

We walked a few blocks without any sign of our target. I kept track of where we've been on the map in my head. There is no logical way that Fumiko was leading us but she still managed to keep going everywhere. Charlotte didn't say a signal word besides short sentences as in 'sure we can go this way.' She wasn't nervous around us like Char was. It was more like she didn't care too much about getting along with us. She wasn't going to build a wall around her but she wasn't going to try.

I think it was because we weren't meant to get along. When I looked at Char I saw Shouta, a person who wouldn't know where to start in a relationship. When I looked at Charlotte, I saw myself. A person that didn't mind if it never started. That's why I wanted to get to know her beyond her overwhelming presence.

"So Charlotte-senpai, I know Char-senpai said that you were the one to interested in joining us today. Any particular reason?" I am clearly not good at breaking the ice.

"You were impressive yesterday at the meeting. The both of you. Char was pretty nervous about it that's why she brought you two along. I wanted to see how you two would be today as well. For myself that is."

"Momo did most the talking though. She didn't even have time to think about everything since Char-chan only showed her the plan yesterday."

"I'm well aware." Fumiko awkwardly didn't know how to respond to such a short, blunt answer.

"Speaking of which I finished with my questions for PV interview. I was going to send those to the media directors when I got back to my dorm. I'll send them to Char-senpai as well so that she can get an idea of her answers once I get the approval."

"Char trusts you enough. I don't think anyone would reject of the questions you come up with." I shook my head laughing a bit.

"That won't stop me from checking first. Concert planning is a bit more complicated than understanding equations in a textbook, I'll say that. I'm glad it gave us the opportunity to do this as well. That includes a possibility to get to talk to you more." I watched out of the corner of my eye as the way Charlotte walked changed a little.

"I don't really see why you're so persistent on me. I know that people are afraid to have me around. No pair of glasses will change that."

I stopped walking to grab her arm. The two of them were shocked. "I'm not afraid of you Charlotte-senpai. I admit in the beginning 100%. Not anymore. I gave you those glasses so that you don't have to worry about it. I'm serious about performing with you. And its not just to prove anything. I want to see you on stage even if not with me. And I know Char-senpai thinks the same way."

Charlotte looked at my hand still around her arm then up to me. She opened her mouth to say something when a colourful flower came in between us. I instinctively let her go to back up at the new arrival. "Marcel-san!"

The clown did an exaggerated bow to us. When he straightens himself he turned his one flower into two. He must have seen the tension between us and tried to ease it. Fumiko held onto my shoulder from behind looking at it. "Wow how did you do that?"

He waved his finger in front of her. A magician will never reveal their secrets. He clutched a closed fist in front of her face, opening it to present a foam heart. Fumiko clapped for him taking it easily. "Marcel-san we've been looking for you."

He blinked looking at us. A light-bulb went off in his head at Charlotte. He then stopped to question the glasses and her flower not in the usual place. "Ah this is Charlotte-senpai. Not Char-senpai. They're a bit different. However, we did come here for a favour for Char-senpai's upcoming concert."

"You understood that?" Fumiko whispered to me.

"He reminds me of Auntie Kaede actually." He clapped at that name with a bright smile. He gestured for me to continue my previous conversation.

"Well Char-senpai has a stage that's really energetic. She already has a coord that she planned out when she heard about your new line. We understand that it is kind of a big deal to ask you for something so huge but we thought it wouldn't hurt to try. As her first solo concert, she really wanted it to be special. If possible we would like to use one of your new designs for one of her stages."

He pointed at Charlotte telling her to continue. She looked at me not understanding. "I think he wants to hear your thoughts."

"Oh just give me a second to switch to Char then." He shook his hands then made glasses with his hands.

"No, wait. He wants to hear your thoughts." He pointed to me giving a thumbs up. She went silent.

"My thoughts? Char is... Char is ...my best friend. There's times when I could not be feeling well and even though she doesn't have the same thoughts as me nor my memories, she would still know. She would write me messages to make sure I would communicate with her if I ever needed it. She'll never hear how much she means to me. That's why I choose to support her from behind. Please, top designer-san, I want this solo concert to be perfect for her."

She bowed to him. I placed my hand on her back telling her to raise herself. He held his hands next to his face, making jazz hands. "I told you earlier. Marcel-san loves to make people smile."

Even without noticing the corners of her mouth went up. He handed us the flowers again. We took them this time and he started to leave. Since he didn't gesture anything we thought that it was a fail when something caught my eye. At the end of the stem of the flower was a card tied to the end. I collected the two seeing that they were a top and bottom card of an outfit I've never seen before.

"It's his new line!" Fumiko practically pushed herself onto my back even more to look at the cards. I caught the sight of the foam heart he gave Fumiko early seeing another card taped on. I grabbed at it seeing an accessory card on it. His magic was truly amazing and made us smile.

We all turned to the direction he was happily skipping down. "Thank you very much!"

We all yelled together. He gave an extra step in his walking before turning the corner. We were all smiling among ourselves probably looking funny to passing people.

I held the three cards in front of Charlotte. "You should be the one to give it to Char-senpai. I think that would only be right."

She took them, careful not to damage them. I watched as she gave the first full smile I've seen from her. A dark purple and teal swirl was hovering around her so faintly that no one even noticed. I could see it plain it as day. 'I knew it. I want to see Charlotte-senpai on stage.'

* * *

A/N: I'm excited for the next chapter. I'll be explaining more about Charlotte-Char and why Momo is determined to perform with her.

Trivia: I try to use the honorifics to make it clear whose talking and the relationship between the two of them. Here's a list to help understand.

What people call Momo

Momo-san: Shouta (-kun)

Momo-chan: Char/ To be revealed girl/ Hayate (Snapshot)

Momo: Fumiko (Without honourifics)/ Her parents (Mom & Dad)/ All older generation idols (Aunite or Uncle)/ Butterfly effect band (Sometimes will call her Little Idol)/ family

Suzukawa-san: Charlotte (temporary) /adults

Suzukawa: Kikyo (Inoue-san)

*****: To be revealed boy

What people call Charlotte/ Char

Charlotte-senpai/Char-senpai: Momo

Char-chan: Fumiko (-chan)/ Hayate (-kun)

Takahashi-senpai: Shouta (Higawari) / Fumiko (Watanabe-san)

Charlotte-chan: Hayate (Ceasire-kun)

Char/Charlotte: Each other/ Ayumi

Fumiko: Will mostly call people without honorifics since she likes to be close to people

Hayate: He calls every girl with –chan, expect older woman, minus Rika who he's close to, then he'll say –san. For boys he will say –kun, since this is more used for boys

(Calls Shouta Dobu-kun for small animal, but for simplicity if he didn't give a nickname Momo and Hayate would both call him Shouta-kun)

Shouta: Will mostly call people –san since this is a respectful tone


	18. Split Personality

I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU

Momo's POV

Fumiko and I stood in front of Starlight Queen mansion or as they renamed it to be Charlotte's Cottage this year. Since we wanted the performance to be a secret until the day, we often practiced in the personal dance studio here. It was more convenient here too as we didn't have to book it like the school one. We were just waiting for the owner to come unlock the door. She did so while patting down some sweat with a towel around her neck. "Come in come in."

She moved aside for us to get inside. I looked back as she was closing the door behind her. "I told you to take it easy on the practice before we came today."

Char nervously chuckled knowing that her sweat was evidence of her pushing herself before we came. "I can't help it. The concert is only 5 days away and I still don't feel ready."

"I get that but I have a feeling you won't even feel ready even on the day of. Beside we decided you would do your voice recordings for the PV first. If you're out of breath it can be heard through the mic."

"I know. Will you forgive me?" She played a classic puppy eye trick on me. I playfully suck out my tongue.

"I'll forgive you but know that pleading doesn't work on me. I grew up with that trick being used by my mom on my dad. I've grown immune to it. Even by the top idol such as yourself." I gave her a pat on the head and gestured for her to lead the way. She jokingly pouted at Fumiko while leading us to her living room.

"Do you guys want anything before we get started?"

"Just water will be fine. You should drink and eat something yourself as well."

"I'll take some water too then. Do you need some help Char-chan?" She sat us down on the couches.

"Don't worry about it. You guys are my guests so make yourselves at home." We sat ourselves down looking around the room. Though we've been here before, we mostly spent the entire time in the practice room. Char was a workaholic that she really never rested.

Char came back with three cups of water and few cookies on a plate. She set the tray down on the middle table and took a seat herself. I instantly took one of the cookies while looking up the notes on my phone. "So I'm going to explain a bit more in detail what we're doing today so relax a little bit while I do so."

They both nodded at me. "Now I sent you all the questions beforehand so you're already aware of your answers. Since the time constraint we're only going to be doing three. It doesn't have to be recited perfectly though so no pressure. I know you already know the questions but you're welcomed to change or improvise on the spot. Fumiko will be asking the questions as her request so that I can monitor better. Her voice will not be included in the PV but will be a written question edited on screen. Any questions before we begin?"

The two of them shook their heads. "Well then, Fumiko can you sit across from Char-senpai? Char-senpai I'm going to connect my phone to my earphones so that you can speak through the built in mic at an easier level. I already tried it out last night and its works fine enough that it can be fixed up later. Try not to focus too much on the mic though. If you will."

I handed her my phone so that she could hold on to it easier. "You can click start whenever you like."

She took a gulp of water first before not hesitating to start the recording. I waved to Fumiko to start asking the questions that I sent her before. The questions I prepared weren't extremely thought provoking or difficult. They were just basic questions for everyone to be able to hear more on Char's thoughts. "Char-chan how do you feel about your first concert?"

"I can't describe all that I'm feeling." Char had a wide smile on her face. "I'm super nervous, excited, I want the day to come faster but at the same time I want more time to perfect everything. Everything since I began being an idol feels like a dream. Starting out a first year, I practiced and worked as hard as I could. Being called the Starlight Queen in my second year means I still have a lot to go through. This is only my first concert."

I took note of everything that she said in my notebook. If anything got lost in the recording I would be able to direct any subtitles that would be used. "Continue on without me giving direction."

Fumiko looked at the next question. "Char-chan, what made you want to do this concert in the first place?"

"There's a lot that went into my thought process. But the main thing was ultimately how impatient I actually am." She let out a small laugh. "Since I wanted to be an idol, I really enjoyed being in front of people. I couldn't hold one as a first year but as a second year I couldn't hold back. I have to thank my fans as well for their positive reactions that really encouraged me to keep going at such a fast pace."

I held back a smile hearing her talk. I couldn't make any sound that could wreck the recording but I loved hearing her talk right now. I picked my questions knowing that her passion was in being an idol. Char was a natural idol that stood up on stage with all of her devotion. Nothing was going to stop her from performing. Not me telling her to relax a little nor limitations of year class.

"Final question, what kind of plans do you have next?"

"Anything! I always want to try new things. Something I want to aim for is possibly an album. Or maybe a larger scale concert? EEEE I really can't wait for everything to happen. In terms of my next steps I don't have anything planned besides trying my best. I hope everyone that I gain and keep a bunch of fans and that I can continue to be the best type of idol possible. Until I reach the end please look out for me."

Char finished off the final question without ever dropping the smile off her face. Even if it was just for voice recording, her excitement could probably be heard through. I quickly looked over my notes making sure that everything made sense. "Okay everything looks good to go. Kept it nice and short and I think very you like answers. Would you want to do anything to it?"

"Nope its fine. I know I can trust you Momo-chan. If there's anything that's wrong with it later you can always tell me." She handed my phone back to me. I stopped the recording looking at the time stamp. 'Hmm about 1 and 43 seconds, not counting the time in between questions and of silence this can be worked with. It'll be better to have music in the background rather than trying to shove in everything to the PV.'

"Um Momo-chan there is something that I did want to ask though before we go to practice more." I looked up at her showing a serious face. I peeked at Fumiko who saw the same thing. Concert nervousness perhaps?

"Um sure. What can I help with?" She scratched the back of her head.

"This is actually kind of embarrassing to ask since she can hear this, but yesterday when Charlotte took over, did something happen? You know when you guys went to get the cards from **Magical Toy's** top designer. Thank you for that by the way. It's just I don't have any of her memories but last night it was like something was bothering her. I thought you would know something."

"I don't mean to be rude but can't you ask Takahashi-senpai yourself?"

"It's kind of hard to. Charlotte and I are close in a sense but at the same time, it's hard for me to speak with her. She likes to keep things to herself. She doesn't speak much so I don't think it's right to pry. She could be listening right now but I want to help her. I mean she helped me get these cards and is by my side all the time. I want to try helping her if I can."

I started to feel guilty seeing her so worried. "It could be because of what I said to her yesterday. I was kind of pushy with her. If it's alright with you I could speak with her directly about it. It is my fault after all."

"I mean sure but what did you say to her?" I thought of it for a little bit. If I gave out the truth it would probably just confuse Char. That's why I wanted to talk to Charlotte herself. I thought about what I should say when an idea popped into my head.

"I said that she hated you." Her eyes widen before dropping her head. Fumiko clung onto my arm showing that Charlotte was coming out. 'Ah so she really does watch Char-senpai from behind.'

"Suzukawa-san why on earth would you say that?" Charlotte's head shot up with pale turquoise eyes. If Fumiko being afraid wasn't enough of a clear signal. Her being mad at me was probably something that only scared her even more.

"I wasn't aware of how much I could tell Char-senpai without upsetting you. I wasn't sure that I could tell her what I said without confirming with you first. The only logical explanation in my mind was to call you out before anything else. Was that the wrong exertion?" She sighed leaning back into her seat. Compared to Char, she was more relaxed and didn't care much about stuff like posture.

"I should have known. So what did you want to say to be me directly that Char?" Knowing that I just messed up, I wanted to try approaching this more carefully.

"Why does Char-senpai exist?" She tensed up at the question. Fumiko slowly let go of my arm. "Split personality disorder. A mental disorder that creates one or more distinct personalities in the brain. Often this occurs in early stages of life due to... Trauma."

I took a deep breath knowing that I was approaching a sensitive topic. "Do you remember how I would describe Char-senpai in our trip to the amusement park? I called her a natural born idol. Isn't that because it's how much you wanted yourself to be? I'm not a psychiatrist though. All I know is that you love music."

"You keep saying that. Since the time you proposed to perform with me. What do you mean by that?"

"I mean exactly that. You love music. Fumiko, can you show us that clip that you took at the day care you guys went to when you're the Queen's manager?" Fumiko just nodded going through her phone's gallery. She didn't say anything as she held the phone out in front of us. When the clip was over Charlotte looked at me again.

"I still don't understand. What's special about this?"

"That was you Charlotte. Look closely, those are your eyes." Fumiko and Charlotte quickly got closer to the phone. They paused the clip at the very last second. They failed to notice the first time that Char's navy eyes had changed to light blue at some point. Then when she stepped away from the piano it changed back to navy when she said her thanks.

"I-I didn't even realize I changed."

"Me neither. I was so focused on the song."

"It's because you were playing for your sister right? Fumiko said that Ayumi-chan was there. That the fellow students got scared by you that you thought to sing for them. I don't think you realized that they were no longer afraid of you when you started to play. Do you know what my parents taught me at a young age? People's love for music is powerful. I saw that in Shouta-kun and I see it in Charlotte-senpai. The kids that were scared of you, heard your emotions and loved you. You love music."

It was silent in the room as they took everything in. "You know just now we interviewed Char-senpai, now its your turn. May I film an interview with you Charlotte-senpai?"

"Me? Why?"

"Because the person who needs to hear this the most is Char-senpai. I want to record this for her to see. I want to let her hear your thoughts for once." She thought about it for a little bit. "When was the last time that you actually spoke up rather than hiding behind her?"

"I'll do it then." She bowed to me in her seat as a way to say that she was in my care. Fumiko was quiet next to me. I patted her on the shoulder telling her to relax. I turned on my phone placing it on the table in the middle of all of us.

"My phone is currently recording voice only. Unlike our interview this one is free style and will be including all of our voices. I will be asking questions for Charlotte with the assistance of Fumiko. I understand that things might get personal so if you ever feel uncomfortable then please interrupt. Any questions before we begin?" They both shook their heads.

"Then let's get started. First, I'll reiterate a question that was asked before the interview was conducted. Charlotte-senpai, why does Char-senpai exist?" Her hands slowly curled into fists.

"It's like you said Char is the idol- no- she was the person I wanted to be." She dropped her head, sparing a glance at Fumiko before. "Since I was young people were always afraid of me. No matter who it was, if I was around people, they would always try to avoid me. People said it was because of my eyes."

I noticed that her voice was getting quieter. "So I didn't get along with others. In school, other kids would just run away. Even adults didn't even want to talk to me. They would say stuff like I should to make friends. Smile more and be more friendly. As if they didn't stutter in front of me. As if they didn't see the kids crying because I only looked at them. I was all by myself. Then Ayumi was born. The two of you have such kind families from what I know. I do love my family, but that wasn't always the case. Fumiko, how would you describe Ayumi?"

"Huh? Ayumi-chan? She's very energetic. When everyone got scared at you, she was the one trying to make everyone smile." Charlotte didn't react to her.

"Ayumi isn't afraid of me because of Char. Because she knows that Char is with me. She's the main reason why Char exists. Like everyone else, I always made her cry. My own baby sister, and I couldn't even get close to her without crying. My parents always tried to help but being a baby, how could Ayumi understand? You see her as energetic but as a baby she would only cry. And that would be my fault. That was until I discovered idols."

"I was just watching the tv one day when this idol came on. I was immediately drawn in by everything. She was incredibly beautiful and her voice captured my attention the moment I heard it. So for a while I would watch all her works. When I had a tough day at school or from Ayumi's crying, I would feel so much comfort from seeing her. One day I was alone in the house, watching tv again. This time I wanted to give it a try. So I sung as best as a child could. Not even realizing that my family came back already. It was the first time that Ayumi was in the same room as me and wasn't crying." Charlotte's music was what lead to the connection between the two.

"Kind of like that clip of me, no one was scared because they were listening to me. It was crazy, for the first time I would actually see her smile. I wanted to be an idol. I wanted to make people smile like that idol did for me. So I continued singing and practicing on my own. I would put on little performances for my family. I thought that I was actually getting closer with Ayumi. With my confidence boost I thought I would be able to do anything." She took a while to process her next words.

"It was around this time that Ayumi started being able to say words. She was learning so fast, words like mom and dad came so easily to her. I thought that she would call me sister or even Charlotte." She stopped, licking her dry lips. "But instead she pointed at me and called me... monster."

Charlotte took a deep breath. "I passed out that day. I thought with everything I could actually be an idol. I could make people stop being scared of me. That I can finally..."

Fumiko suddenly stood up to sit next to Charlotte. The two of us didn't say anything. All she did was place a hand over Charlotte's fists. She didn't say anything to comfort her. Only reminding her that we were here. Charlotte nodded in response. "The next day I woke up or well Char did. It felt so strange. Everything was kind of fuzzy and I didn't feel complete control over myself. Then I looked in the mirror and my eyes had changed colours. Of course I freaked out but I didn't outwardly. I just kept moving and I even talked but it wasn't me."

"My body went over to my parents and spoke with zero memory of anything. We went to the doctors, said that it was like amnesia for her. We later found out that it was split personality. Char was in charge of my body for about a week until I was put back in charge. In that week I would watch everything behind her eyes like a movie. No one was avoiding me, no one ignored me, everyone was just so welcoming. They would look at me without any fear. You know the name Char? It came from Ayumi not being able to pronounce Charlotte." She gave out a weak laugh

"That's it really. I still had no idea what was happening. I wanted to let Char continue though. I wanted to just watch from behind her eyes. Even without memories of everything, Char still had the same love for music that I did. She loved singing and dancing for my family. Looking back, I wonder if it was because I wanted to be a character like Char. Someone that had the power to make people smile through music. Maybe Char was born from that."

We sat there for a little bit so that we can process everything. I had an idea of everything before I asked her the question. I knew that she had a passion for music from that clip. When I wanted her attention, I told her that I wasn't afraid of her. I didn't at that point. How can I be afraid of her when she didn't do anything to me? If all she wanted was to perform I wanted to give her a chance to do that. When I gave her those glasses I wanted her to just stop worrying about everyone looking at her because of them.

I saw that she wanted to make Ayumi happy. I saw that she was confident enough in her music to do that. What I didn't ever see was Charlotte ever being able to express that side of her. I knew that every one feared her while Char was loved. I thought it would have been sad not being able to play music. I didn't think it had gone this far.

"If I were to describe you and Char-senpai in one word it would be obsession." The two of them looked at me. "The two of you, though different personalities have this in common. Idols. Your obsession led to Char-senpai. Her obsession led her to be Starlight Queen. The more I got to know you two, the more I saw that this was true. I didn't know your story but I know that, Charlotte-senpai, you've hidden yourself behind her for so long when you had such a love for music. I wanted to give you a stage that you could finally stand at."

"I appreciate the consideration Suzukawa-san but I'm not an idol. Ayumi made that clear when I was called a monster. I'm fine with just watching Char. At least one of us-" I stood up cutting her off.

"Why can't you be an idol? Because people are scared? Well guess what? I'm not. Fumiko's not. Shouta-kun was a shy boy that couldn't look anyone in the eye. Snapshot was a child model. Mom had no idea what an idol was at the beginning. You have no reason that stops you if you try enough. You agreed that if I got Char-senpai's approval you would perform with me. You agreed because you want to stand on stage. Even if everything goes wrong, Char-senpai and I have been waiting for that moment. So I ask, why can't you give it a try? Be the idol that can make people smile."

I watched as tears pooled up in her eyes. Fumiko immediately grabbed some tissues off the table for her. I walked up to her placing my hand on her shoulder. "I just have one more question. Do you still have the same obsession as a child to today?"

She didn't even have to think about it. "Yes. Watching Char... She's let me experience everything that I wanted. A real life idol lenses. That hasn't changed a bit. But if I could, standing on stage would be like a dream come true."

"Did you ever tell Char-chan this?" She shook her head. "Let's tell her now then. My question, Takahashi-senpai, do you hate Char-chan?"

"I could never. How could I? When we first started out, she understood me better than anyone. She has no memories from me but one of the first things she said to me once we became more aware of our situation was 'It must have been hard for you.' Sometimes people would still flinch at Char because they would second guess that it was really me. So Char was my first and only friend. Communication wasn't ideal but it was nice to have someone by my side. I wouldn't have anyone else sharing my mind with."

Fumiko loudly aww'ed and pulled Charlotte into a hug. "I'm so sorry I thought you were scary. I'll try to get to know you better too Takahashi-senpai!"

Charlotte seemed unfamiliar with the situation but allowed it. All she did was smile at me as if she was saying thank you. I politely bowed my head a little.

In the end, we revealed everything to Char. The entire interview of Charlotte was meant to connect the remaining dots between the two. One girl desiring to be an idol, the other giving her the chance to. There was this unbreakable bond between the two that even with their rough start, created something amazing.

* * *

Concert day!

Fumiko screamed loudly next to me as Char stood up on stage. Since our stage was during the middle of the concert, we were allowed to watch a little. The energy was crazy high with all the fans cheering as loud as they could. I felt the buzz that made me want to get up there as fast as possible. I shook her shoulder to get her attention back. "We should get ready now!"

She pouted at me. I rolled my eyes, pulling her backstage. We went back to one of the small dressing rooms where we had put our stuff down earlier. "Let's grab our cards and head back. I don't want to miss too much."

"Yes yes." I put my bag on the table so that I could reach into it at a better level. Wait a minute. I carefully pulled out everything in my bag spreading it on the table. 'No no no. This can't be happening!'

I rushed over to the area that my bag was before. I got on all fours, inspecting everything around the place. "Momo? What's the matter?"

"My Aikatsu cards! They're gone!"

* * *

Happy Holiday readers! Whatever you celebrate I hope you receive the best of luck!

Guest: I plan to include some Ichigo & Naoto scenes from maybe their first date I think. I'm not too good with romance scenes but please look forward to it.

Trivia: So I have to admit I don't know anyone with or know lot about split personality. I really hope that I didn't say anything that could offend anyone while reading this. I planned Charlotte to have two sides of her where one side wasn't able to become an idol and the other was the best. This way Momo would be kind of the one to encourage them to follow their dream (You know like an idol does).

Originally Charlotte was going to be scared of everyone. Not even close to Shouta's shyness but she would genuinely be afraid of people. It later changed because I didn't want two people to be the ones to come out of their shell. Instead I flipped it so that Charlotte was scaring everyone else.

I tried to explain how Char was created in Charlotte as best as a could so if someone doesn't understand then please ask.


	19. Improvise

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED

*Cinderalla on G-String & Hello, Hoshi no Kazoete, both by Love Live

Momo's POV

'This can't be happening. No way is this happening. How could I lose my Aikatsu cards on such an important day?!' Fumiko and I scavenged all over the room for my card binder. I definitely had it on the way here. It must have fallen out between when we arrived or when we went to go watch the concert.

"What should we do Momo? I can't find them." I ran my hand through my hair in stress.

"Give me a moment to think." I sat down on the floor retracting all my steps in my head. In the morning we came to the stadium to do last minute check ups. Because of how well I spoke during the meeting, I was granted access to join in the behind the scenes checks. I was probably all over the arena making sure that everything was in place. I don't remember putting down my bag because we kept moving. Where could it have possibly fallen out? This doesn't make any sense!

Cards are an idol's life. I can't go on stage without them. Not for Char's big event. They determine how the entire stage will play out. We planned to use our **Torte Coords** for both our songs since as first years we didn't have a lot of cards. That also meant that Fumiko wouldn't have any cards to lend me. Char had her own cards but most of them are going to be used to today most likely. Not to mention they wouldn't match the theme. Each student was allowed only one special Torte coord. We would have to find mine or change everything.

I could hear the loud screams coming from the tv increase. I shot my head over to the tv screen that was playing live feed of the concert. 'That song means I only have 4 more until the PV... Then our stage. I have to come up with something! Let me think, let me think! I don't have time to think! It must have gotten lost somewhere.'

"I'm going to have to go looking for it!" I stood up rushing to the door.

"Wait Momo! I'll come with you!" I grabbed her shoulders shaking my head.

"Just stay here. I'll be back in time. You need to inform anyone that comes by. Okay?" She nodded letting me go. I threw open the door looking both ways in the hallway. The entire building layout is already planned out in my mind. I just had to take the route we did this morning while eliminating the repeating areas in order to cover a larger area. I'll, also, have to head to entrance area where we were dropped off as well.

I speed walked through the venue checking around every corner for my binder. It was hard enough that with its dark colour it could be hiding in plain sight without someone noticing. That and everyone was already running around the place. No one really had time to be looking for my cards so I couldn't bother them. I had to just not be in their way.

I ran towards the side entrance where we first arrived at. There was nothing by the door. Could it be in the car? No way I could have dropped in there without me noticing. Then again it wouldn't have been lost if I did notice. No, I should focus on the main spots. Finding the car would take too much time. I closed the door behind me running to the next spot.

I went all around the building having one last place to check. I ran up the stairs to the main control room. I was out of breath after opening the door. One of the workers came up to me offering me a hand. "Suzukawa-san, are you okay? Would you like some water?"

I held onto the door handle to keep myself up. "D-did you happen to see a gray book here? It's no bigger than a regular tablet size."

They looked at one another. Some inspected the room a little. "I don't think we have. Is it something important? We can radio it in, if you want."

I thought that this was the last place. There wouldn't have been any other place for it to be. I scanned the room myself not seeing anything. 'Why did I have to get such a dark aesthetic?! The only light here was from the tv monitors and the knobs on the control panels. I sighed shutting my eyes. 'There has to be somewhere I missed!'

"Wow you have to admire you two and the other girl as well." I raised my head at the worker.

"W-what do you mean?" They gestured to one of the monitors with Char. She sat on a solo chair singing a ballad with a light snow fall display behind her. Everything was shining around like a whole wonderland. There was something in her voice that soothed me for a second letting me catch my breath.

"I've never seen a trio as well functioning as your three girls. Holding a solo concert is no easy feat you know. Then the orange hair girl was running around greeting everyone. Really brings up the atmosphere. And you Suzukawa-san. Not many idols help out behind the scenes. You almost looked like a worker with how focused you were. Can't wait for your stage." A few of them chuckled at the comment. 'That's right. I can't let everyone's efforts go to waste.'

I bowed to them going back to the main area. I couldn't stay still, continuing to take hesitant steps. 'I already checked here. If I take this hallway, it'll lead to the concert stage. This way leads to the storage areas. I haven't been in either of those places. It wouldn't be possible to have my binder up there. Would it?' I bit my lip. 'Come on! Think!'

"Momo-san?" I caught my breath hearing that familiar voice. I turned my head towards the last hallway. "It is you. What are doing here? Shouldn't you be backstage or something?"

I ran up to him grabbing his shoulders. "Shouta-kun! I need your help. I lost my cards. I've been running around and I can't find them anywhere. I'm usually the one that is suppose to have everything together. I don't know how I could mess up so bad! On such an important day nonetheless!"

I lost the feeling in my arms, letting them drop to my side. "I don't know what to do..."

Shouta slowly put one hand on my shoulder. He looked me in the eyes with sincerity. "Hey, it'll be okay. Like you said you usually have everything together. You have put in so much effort into this. You'll figure it out. Just breathe."

Shouta spoke softly to me. He gave me a weak smile as if he was saying to trust him. And I did. If he believes in me to figure it out, then I could. I took a few deep breathes. He let go of me taking a step back. "Who would have thought that we would switch roles where I would be calming you down."

We shared a brief chuckle that really calmed me down. "Now back to the problem. I lost my cards. I've looked every where and I don't really have the time nor energy search again. So I have to come up with another way to-"

"What are you doing over- oh- Suzukawa Momo. Of course you two are talking. I leave for the bathroom for a minute and you somehow found her." I turned my head at the new voice coming from behind Shouta. She was dressed in casual clothing rather than her Dream Academy uniform and tied her light brown hair back but still had the same usual red glasses.

"Ah sorry Momo-san. Meet Kikyo-san. Since we're both Pon-Pon Crepes representatives we thought it would be nice to be talk a bit outside of schedule. I invited her here today."

Inoue Kikyo. Musical training aside there was something else that interested me about her. She's one of the muses for **Chameleon's Skin**. The first of it's kind, a mix type brand. Dream Academy has different stage uniforms than us that I can't use that. However, her brand is out for everyone. I walked up to her holding my hands tightly together. "I need to borrow your cards."

She made of face of disgust. "Excuse me? Why don't you have your own?"

"I know this is an odd request but please, I need your help. This concert means a lot to Char-senpai, Fumiko, all the workers that put all their effort into it and the fans watching. I'm the one that made a mistake. Please don't let my mistake let these people down. I don't have time to explain but I need your cards." She scoffed at me sighing heavily.

"Let's me set this straight. I'm only doing this for them not you." She frustrated dug her maroon coloured binder. Before she could hand it to me, she suddenly pulled it out of my reach. "I want a favour though." Kikyo tauntingly waved the binder in front of me. "In a few days I have a small showcase. The MC we got suddenly had a conflict that they can't make it. Fill in the spot for me."

"Deal." She smirked giving me the binder. I held it close knowing that I could figure something out from this. "Thank you. You guys should head back to the concert hall. I have to go now."

I ran as fast as I could back to the dressing room as I was flipping through all the pages. A third of the binder was neatly organized with a wide variety of cards. I threw open the door seeing Fumiko and a stage director inside. "Momo! Did you find it?!"

"No but I have something else. I want to change the set list." The stage director looked at me.

"You can't be serious! You two are going on in only a few minutes!" I looked at the stage monitor to check which song Char was on.

"Please trust me. I wouldn't ask for this unless I found it absolutely necessary. Char-senpai has around 2 minutes and 35 seconds, counting left of this song and the PV is something I worked on personally. It's exactly 3 minutes and 48 seconds with an 11 second each interval between turning it on and off. That's enough time for this to work. Please."

The stage director was speechless but nodded. I grabbed my Aikatsu phone off the table searching through my music files. "I need you to bring my phone to the main control panel. Tell them to connect my phone to the speakers instead of letting the set list play. Oh and I'll need a walkie talkie."

They instantly replaced my phone with a walkie talkie and ran out the room. "Come on Fumiko I'll inform you on the way."

I ran out the door having her follow after me. "Are you sure we can pull this off Momo?"

"No but I'm going to try." I heard a static noise come from the walkie talkie.

"Hello? Suzukawa-san?" I held the device up.

"Yes this is me." We arrived backstage. I placed Inoue's binder on a nearby table.

"We got your phone. There isn't going to be any problems with this. Just tell us the songs and our cues." I took out four cards handing them to Fumiko. Her eyes sparkled at them.

"File _Cinderalla on G-String_ and _Hello, Hoshi no Kazoete_ in that order. I already selected the area with the soundtracks only. Cinderella can be played when Char-senpai is ready on stage. There would be a brief intermission for us and we'll cue you then with our dialogue Hello after the second time the audience responds." I took out 8 more cards placing them on the table. I heard screaming from the audience which meant Char was finished her songs for now.

"One more thing, we need to change the stage to outside setting. Can you change it to the **Crescent Cruise Stage** for both songs?" Out of the corner of my eye I could see Char coming off stage.

"Leave it to us. Good luck." I placed the walkie talkie on the table. I picked up the 8 cards heading over to Char. Right away she could tell that something was off with me holding a different set of cards.

"No time to explain. We have to change our stage to _Cinderella on the G-String_ and _Hello, Hoshi no Kazoete_. These cards are for you." She took a gulp of water taking the cards without question.

"Momo we haven't practiced these songs since Char-chan chose the set list. I'm not like you two. I can't pick this up this fast." I placed a hand on Fumiko's shoulder.

"These are the songs we practiced before we decided on the set list. I fully believe in you to manage. Besides we're going to be having fun with these stages."

"Fun?" The both of them questioned.

* * *

I looked on the monitor seeing that the stage had been successfully alternated to my request. The outfit that I chose for the three of us were a part of a set that they only had the main colour and slight differences between us. I had on a mixture of emerald green and sliver theme, Fumiko was a cherry red and Char had lilac and pale pink mixture.

The skirt was long enough that to reach around our calves, it being shorter in the front than at the back. It was covered with a small amount of sparkles that when the loose look of the fabric took effect, made the skirt shine even more. The strapless top had a darker hue to it than the skirt giving a clear distinction of the two pieces but still being connected. The bottom of the top had a band around the waist that held a bow on the end and was the start was a few ruffles that covered the top part of the skirt. The main point of the top was probably in the five petal bow star on the opposite side of the bottom bow.

Tied together with the accessories that had a thin bow hair piece and scrunches on our wrists. and as a choker. One would think that it was too many ruffles or bows but the way that they were spaced out was what made it work. From first glace, you can tell that these items belonged together but can even be separated to lower the abundance of everything. The final item was in the shoes. I took a different pair than the one a part of the original coord settling for short heeled, open toed boots with a star cross string running up the leg. I had taken a white pair, and gave Fumiko black with Char with gray, creating somewhat of a gradient between the three of us.

I took a deep breath hearing the piano slide at the start of the song. Let's go. Char stood solo on stage while Fumiko and I were in the waiting Aikatsu system.

 _C: shitai koto itte mite yo ne Please!  
sawagitai kibun dakara sa_

 _All: tondemo nandemo kanaechau_ The audience screamed as Fumiko and I appeared on stage behind her.

 _M: ikinari sugiru deshou No!_ I playfull shook my head at them, holding my palm out at them in protest.

 _F: wakannai kedo omoshirosou_ Fumiko grabbed my wrist dragging me next to Char

 _All: oshiete oshiete donna koto?_ We all put a finger to our heads, tilting it in question

"I said anything, didn't I? You're talking to the Starlight Queen!" The crowd screamed at Char.

"Anything? So we could have a dance party? With an orchestra? Haha, imagine." I jokingly responded to her.

"Oh! That reminds me, I've always wanted to have a party on top of a boat!" Fumiko cheerfully called out.

 _All: otto meian kamo!?  
doresu kichaou ka  
winna warutsu de!_

 _Shall we dance?  
yume no you ni odorimashou  
hitoyo no wasurerarenai shinderera  
kutsu wo nuide okeba nakusanai yo  
karuku hayaku  
dare wo yobou ka? moriagaru ne!_

 _zutto odorou? zutto odorou!  
moriagatte ne!_

"Wow! Did everyone enjoy our little ballroom dance?" Char asked loudly. "I guess I should introduce my two special guests. Everyone please welcome the two kouhais that I've been working with for the past month." Char took a step back so that we were closer out front.

"Hello everyone I'm Watanabe Fumiko!" Fumiko waved at the crowd with a bright smile.

"Hello I'm Suzukawa Momo, please treat me well today." I politely bowed to them, contrasting to Fumiko's hyper movements.

"These two have been working with me constantly to help me with this concert. They're both incredibly talented and I look forward to their future performances. So everyone please give them a warm 'Hello!' into the Aikatsu world!"

I couldn't hold back my smile hearing the entire audience just yelled Hello at us. "Come on guys! I think you could do better than that. One more time!"

I gave a slight nod knowing that the people in the main control room were watching us. "Everyone! With your loudest voice greet them Hello!"

"Hello!" The music started immediately. Fumiko jumped off the stage making her playful Idol aura explode off of her.

 _F: Hello, uta ni yobarete!_  
 _hikari afureru machi wa kaanibaru mitai_ She ran towards the nearest set of bleachers greeting them with smiles and waves.

 _Hello, kotaete mitara_  
 _kitto ippo zutsu sekai hirogaru yo Hello!_

"Come on everyone! Let's party!" Fumiko with her already high energy levels and being the only one that didn't exert herself out today was taking the led on raising the crowd. She ran through the aisles high- fiving all the fans that were close enough. The main reason I chose these outfits were their practically. With the shorter front on the skirt, they made it more movable in. This outfit could have been easily made into a one piece dress but was separated so that the model/ dancer would be able to move. However, I gave each of us short heels that you wouldn't expect in ballroom dresses for Cinderella. They were great for us to be running around in though.

 _C: odoridasu kousaten de minna odorokanai_

 _M: nanimokamo jiyuu na no?_

 _C: nagareru hito no nami ni_

 _M: nomikomaresou ni naru yo_

 _C: shiranai kotoba no merodii_

Char and I bounced off of another as we made our way down the side sections.

 _F: fushigi to chikara ga waite kuru_ Fumiko stopped running once she reached the section between the lower and upper levels. We ran up to join her like this was our second stage.

 _All: Hello, hoshi wo kazoete_ We jumped side to side like bunnies then slid to the right  
 _kore kara deau koto wo uranaeba_ We spun together giving a hi  
 _Hello, yosoku fukanou!?_  
 _kitto_

F: issho nara Fumiko jumped to the side

 _M: zenbu tanoshimeru_ I copied her jumping to the other side

 _All: Hello!_ The two of us gestured to push Char out in center in front of us

 _C: ashita okitara_

 _All: dou naru kana_

 _dou shiyou kana_

The loud fanfare settled down as we did a final pose. Not being on stage, seeing the fans in front of us up close, it was thrilling. It made running around the venue and all the last minute stress worth it. Char put her arm around both of shoulders pulling us close. She was smiling widely. She was covered it sweat and breathing heavily but was still grinning brightly. The three of us continued laughing still feeling the song radiate off of us.

We made our way back to the stage, still holding hands with the fans that we passed by. Fumiko and I stood back as Char took center stage. "Did you guys enjoy that stage?!"

Fumiko and I waved to their enthusiastic response. "Unfortunately they have to head back now."

The crowd awww'd at us. "Come on guys. Am I not enough?" They screamed in protest turning the mood around.

"Well if you guys like them so much then I have a special announcement." She gestured for us to come closer. We looked at each other not knowing what was happening. She came to us when we didn't move.

"As some of you may know Starlight Academy will be having their annual festival to celebrate their 75 years soon. And it has been a tradition that the Starlight Queen perform as the closing. This year, however, I want to pass the responsibility to these two." Fumiko and I gasped at the news. "This past month, they've both been preparing everything with me to the last second. Today has proven it to me that they are more than worthy to perform for such an honour. There's one more surprise."

Char looked at me specifically. "These two will be joined by someone very dear to my heart. This person will shine on the stage that they've admired for so long. And I wouldn't have anyone that I trust more to welcome them. Fumiko? Momo? If you would? Can you allow this person to be on stage with you?"

I jumped at Char finishing. I held back a scream in victory. Fumiko joined me in my happy jumping. Char giggled at us quietly shooing us off the stage. We went back while Char went back to the Aikatsu changing station. We watched from the monitor seeing her not waste a second to start the next song in the **Magical Toy** outfit that we got her. Seeing Char on stage with the outfit that we worked to get for her. Knowing that the concert was still going on without any hitches from my mistake. Seeing all the fans up close. I was one of the reasons that they were cheering so loudly.

* * *

When everything was officially over Char came back to dressing room. We bowed to one another telling her that we worked hard today. We finished our formalities then had Char tackle us into a hug. She was squeezing us tightly while having a strange noise in glee. After she let us have some space she just fell to the floor. The two of us held onto to each arm. "I'm fine, just a little tired."

We gently set Char down on the floor. She quickly became pale. Holding herself up for so long was an accomplishment. Fumiko was worrying on the side looking to me for some help. "Give her a few minutes. The human body needs rest. Stay with her for a little while I go check to see if the car is ready. She should probably get some rest somewhere not in a dressing room."

Fumiko nodded carefully handling Char. I lightly patted Char's head. "You've worked hard today. You may have to greet fans outside but I'll double check, okay?"

"Thanks Momo-chan." Fumiko handed her a water bottle which she took kindly. I gathered all of my things heading out the room in the way of the entrance way. I found a worker by the door with Shouta and Inoue standing by.

"Oh Suzukawa-san, I'm glad you here. I was just about to call Char-chan to say that her car is ready. Most fans are near the door entrance so there aren't any here. You can just head out when ready. The driver's just waiting."

"Perfect thank you. I'll go tell them then. Oh Inoue-san thank you for your cards. You really saved us." I handed her back the cards binder from my bag. She rolled her eyes and presented something to me. I grabbed it giving her binder back.

"You found my card binder?!" I held back my tears holding it in my arms again.

"I found it on the floor. What kind of idol loses her cards? I really gave you the benefit of the doubt that something went wrong with the planning, not something so drastic as losing them. What would you have done if I wasn't here? Hm? I wasn't suppose to be here. Higawari brought me. I keep my cards on me out of habit. You lost them. I found them. Did Higawari not tell you my message after our failed song recording? You're not an idol in my eyes. This just further pushes it." She turned on her heel with a huff heading out. The three remaining by the door in some shock.

"W-well I'm going to check if anyone else needs help." The worker awkwardly shuffled away not knowing what to do next.

I took a deep breath after reeling in all that she just threw at me. I knew that she didn't have a good impression of me but that was a lot. I wish I could have asked why she disliked me so much. I looked down at the binder in my hands. I could see my knuckles turning white from how tightly I was holding it. I jumped internally when I heard my Aikatsu phone ring. Thinking it was Fumiko messaging me I checked my phone finding an unknown notification.

My eyes widen seeing the golden crest with the six coloured jewels. I clicked the flashing orange jewel having a new memo pop up. "I got the mastery for Communication?"

Shouta came closer, looking over my shoulder. "What is a mastery by the way?"

"Um hold on a minute. I should probably get Char-senpai into the car first. Did you need something?"

"N-no uh I was hoping to get a ride back with you guys."

"Great. Wait here. Fumiko probably doesn't know what a mastery is either so I'll explain it to the both of you." I ran back to the dressing room. Charlotte had taken over at this point so that Char could mentally rest as well. Though her body was still tired she was able to handle it a bit better. They both held onto their Aikatsu phones from what I could see.

"Momo, my phone gave me something weird." I sighed offering Charlotte a hand up, ignoring Fumiko.

"Can you stand?" She took my hand standing up. "The car is ready. Fumiko, help me out here?"

Charlotte managed to get into the car with little difficulty but we still remained by her side in case anything happened. The car set up had Charlotte in the front seat with Shouta, me and Fumiko in the back in that order. When everyone was settled in, I had brought my phone out in front of the two.

"So let me start with explaining what mastery are. By definition they are proof of your growth as an idol. Starlight idols gain these through meeting the expectations of one of the six mastery, often through special auditions. The six are Song, Appearance, Acting, Dance, Bonds and the one us three got, Communication. Consider them a certification for us gaining a skill that will be useful in our Aikatsu lives."

"That's so cool! Does that mean Char-chan has gained these as well?" Charlotte leaned backwards.

"Yes and no. If you click on the mastery you can see what the requirements are. 'Communication is the art of playing catch-ball of words. You must start from learning how to properly accept the ball your partner throws.' Char only had solo stages so today was the day she got the Communication. The last one she needs is Bonds." Shouta brought up his phone to me.

"Does that mean I have the mastery in Song?" I grabbed his phone looking at the red jewel lightening up. Even Charlotte tried reaching for the phone.

"How-What-When did you get this? Dad didn't even introduce mastery yet because most people gain them from special auditions and ours isn't scheduled for another month. Why didn't you tell me about this either?"

"I-It was after our debut audition together. The one for _Blue Moon_. I got it the night of, I didn't think too much about it. I thought it was just an acknowledgement of my song. I still don't really understand how the Aikatsu Phone works." My mouth fell open.

"Did you happen to read the description? 'Song is your voice filled with emotions, to be delivered to your companion. You should hold onto your microphone with the feeling to join hands with your audience.' You didn't even sing in that audition. On your first audition, not even singing, you gain a mastery from your writing alone. Some people don't even gain all mastery and you already have one!"

All of us were staring at him not knowing what to say. There was nothing to say other than the fact that Shouta was unbelievable. Mastery weren't handed to everyone for free. They are seals to prove to ourselves that we are improving. For him to gain one that easily and not even the most common form, was chilling.

I smiled to him handing him back his phone. I was happy for him. I truly was. On the other hand, I was scared. 'Shouta-kun is amazing. Do I even stand a chance against him? ... Do I stand a chance against Mom?'

* * *

Aipom4: Yep her cards went missing, of course she got it back from Inoue Kikyo. There's somewhat an important reason why they went missing though but that's too much of a spoiler for me to reveal anything.

Trivia: I'm bringing back mastery. It's called Knowledge on the Aikatsu Wiki but I found mastery used in the translation and I think this way sounds a lot cooler. They got rid of this system in the second season which makes sense since they gained all of them but they never brought this back for someone Akari and stuff. So I'm bringing it back. I won't write how everyone gains each mastery but I'll try to include it if I find something that makes them work. I will be using each one at least once though.

And about Momo's cards going missing, you should know that this does have somewhat importance but not for a while. I have an over arcing plan for how this story plays out so this wasn't a random thing. That's all I'm saying for now. Bye!


	20. Tiara

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU

Momo's POV

I sighed reading through the latest news for Aikatsu. A lot of the news was on Char's successful solo concert. A sold out hall making out thousands of fans pleased at the results. The most talked about part was in three things. One, that Char was big enough that she was able to wear **Magical Toy's** unreleased line. This made, not only Char fans, but any follower of **Magical Toy** go crazy. A never before seen line was released, announced at a concert that everyone tried their best look at fan filmed concert clips of Char to get a chance at looking at the piece of the clothing. They gave an shocking amount of increasing views as more fans and fashion enthusiasts watched more. Her fanbase rose when these viewers saw her perform so well. According to what people recorded, her Kirapatter gained around 2 thousand more followers after Marcel, the top designer, shared one clip in order to promote the two of them.

The second news that is getting a lot of recognition was in us, the two first years that came out of no where. Fumiko was already seen through the Queen's manager audition that Char's more loyal fans recognized her on the spot. Fumiko had attracted a lot of attention after her show in _Hello, Hoshi no Kazoete_ for having so much energy to run through the hall. Since our performance was placed right after Char's ballad, it was Fumiko that was able to get people back up on their feet in cheer. Many of the people there said that once they saw her Idol Aura off her, they couldn't hold back their excitement.

Reading comments around my performance was different than when I did _Blue Moon_. At that time, it was like they were praising Shouta and I together. That we were both two first years that people had to look out for. That we were a pair that had such a rare combination. Now it was me alone. Sure, Fumiko and Char were next to me but they were treated separately. The difference was in how we presented ourselves.

Like I said at the beginning, Fumiko was one of the most opposite people from me. and Char was so familiar to her. Both were the typical cheerful idols that captivated people on the spot. Then there was me. While Fumiko and Char were hyping people up. I was just leaving people in shock. In a good way though?

Most people at the concert said that when I came up to them it was like a moment that made them stop thinking. Some could tell that I had received vocal training from a younger age that when I sang they couldn't tell that I was running at the same time. When I came close by people they would all stop 'in awe' as they worded it. Apparently my aura was somewhat coming out that even with such a cheerful song they felt like I had bewitched them. A spell that made everything around me disappear and only made them focus on me.

The final news coverage was the one I was the most interested in. Since Char announced that Fumiko and I would be performing at the Starlight annual grand opening closing ceremony many people were anticipating who could be the mystery guest to be. If this person was recommended with the two of us, then they were going to be the best of the best. Some people speculated that because I was one of the performers that it would be Shouta. A few people even saw him at the concert.

Shouta had been spammed with many messages afterwards regarding it that he started to doubt if it was him. The poor boy is so naive that I had to help him post on his Kirapatter that he wasn't the special guest after it got a little out of hand. Some people guessed Inoue Kikyo as well, since they were seen together at the concert. Not to mention that our stage had **Chameleon's Skin** clothing so people wanted to connect those dots. Until both Inoue sisters had to deny all the rumors. People were grasping at straws that even my mom was a candidate.

My mom. The top idol. I sighed again. I put my phone down, not wanting to look at any more. The concert was a complete success. That was something that I was proud of. All of our hard work had paid off in the end. Charlotte was to be the surprise guest that performs. I got Char's approval meaning that Charlotte was going to use the event to finally debut. I had received my first mastery. It made me very excited I think.

This was what I was aiming for. It didn't feel right that I had lost my cards. I did find it in the end. I shouldn't have lost it in the first place though. What had gone wrong? Even with all the stress of the concert timing off my shoulders I couldn't recall anywhere I could have lost it. Where did Inoue look to find it that I couldn't?

"Are you alright Momo-san?" I snapped out of my little trance at Shouta next to me. I didn't even notice that he sat down next to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." He looked at my phone face down on the table.

"You know you can tell me if there's something wrong right?" I tried to reassure him with a smile that didn't feel right.

"It doesn't matter now. I'll get over it in a few days. Thank you though." I put my phone in my desk so that I wouldn't think of it. I had more to focus on. People were constantly asking about my experiences with Char and who the special guest would be. Not to mention that I had to MC for Inoue's showcase after that. I shouldn't be focusing on something else.

The school bell rung three times soon having dad come in to start the class. "Alright everyone settle down. I have some announcements. As most of you have already heard but the Annual Starlight grand opening is coming up next week. There are a lot of special event coming up that I'm sure you are all excited."

I could feel all the eyes looking at Fumiko and I. I didn't acknowledge any of them. Dad cleared his throat so that my classmates would stop. "Yes, please focus on my announcement. As I was saying a lot of events are happening. That's why we need to elect someone from each class to help organize the events. As first years, you won't be expected to do anything crazy difficult. For the most part you'll be mostly helping out the upper years if they need something. This is a great opportunity for you to learn from them as well. Do we have any volunteers?"

Everyone started murmuring a little. "Nee wouldn't Suzukawa-chan be the best option?"

I shot my head up at someone's recommendation. A bunch of others started pitching in that I was the best candidate because I was seen as a responsible and organized person. "Momo, it seems like you are the most favoured candidate. What do you say?"

Of course I wasn't fit to fill in that role. A responsible person wouldn't have lost their cards. A organized person wouldn't have been running around the venue in such a last minute rush. If it wasn't for the flexibility in those songs choreography and Inoue being there, I would have ruined everything. Now, this was technically Charlotte's debut stage. Was I going to ruin this one too? I got lucky. Luck runs out. I stood up to make my statement.

"I acknowledge the eulogize and proposing I for the position. Lamentably I will have to repudiate the role." The room went silent.

"So you'll take it?" One student asked. The others ooh'd as if they clearly understood what I said. Even though I had bluntly, clearly stated that I wouldn't be able to accept the job since I don't fit the role. I was going to deny it again when everyone clapped for me making it impossible for me to say anything out loud. I just sat back down without being able to fight back.

"Then it's settled. Momo, I'll tell Headmitress Aoi so she'll send you some more information afterwards." I nodded at dad, not looking at him. I couldn't bring myself to look at him out of all people. Him or mom for that point.

* * *

I headed over to one of the meeting rooms as per Aunty Aoi's message regarding the event. I think today would be solely on getting to know one another and get an idea for the planned events. I could have told dad afterwards that I didn't want the position but I couldn't face him. At least I would be working with the upper years who would mostly likely take on most of the jobs. I knocked on the door hearing a confirmation from the inside giving me permission to enter.

I looked around the room finding that only a few have arrived. I recognized every single one of them from my prior research. There was the common theme that each representative was someone that had a skill of networking. The idols chosen had been the ones that have always went through a variety of shows or auditions. Whether or not they realized it, they were probably elected for their ability to be able to put themselves out there and their experiences.

"Oh Suzukawa Momo-san. Please take a seat anywhere you like." One of the third years told me. I bowed to them, quietly taking a random seat. Little by little more people came into the room. One of them actually being Snapshot who took the seat next to me.

"I should have guessed that you would be the representative Momo-chan." He sat down setting his bag on the floor.

"And I you. It's nice that I know you out of all these people. I'll be in your care. Though I was expecting you to do a special performance as well."

"My class is doing a small runway but I decided to be focusing on helping my classmates clothing, not modelling. And I think I would be more so in your care. Dobu-kun talked about how you were involved in planning Char-chan's concert. I'm sure this would be a breeze for you." I didn't answer back, not knowing what to say. Compared to a concert this was easier, yes. It didn't mean that everything would run smoothly. Someone in the room pushed out their chair loudly standing up to bow to the new guest.

"Good afternoon Char-san." Everyone followed the person in bowing towards Char. She returned a greeting with a smile. As our Queen most the people here were nervous around her. Most of them kept their eyes on her while she was moving across the room. When she spotted me, she abandoned her original designation at the head of the table to come sit next to me. I could see how everyone was watching me put in the middle of some of the most influential people of this school.

On the right was child model who has more experience than everyone in this room combined. Besides Char, he had a schedule that filled up his time that even without taking auditions he was still raising on the Aikatsu system. One of the males that was making an impact on the system. Then I had Char on my left. Do I even need to comment on why people would expect a lot from her? It was normal for the Queen to help out in these school events, it wasn't normal for the Queen to be a second year. This was the first time she would be helping out, assuming, that she probably would be assigned a lower role though.

When all the representatives were filled in, we started the meeting. One of the third years was leading for the most part. I was just taking notes on the general plan of the entire day. Most of it was planned out from the upper years already, now was the matter of making sure we had enough hands on deck to manage everything.

"Hey what about the ending stage?" One student brought up. This was the first time that everyone had their full attention. "I mean it's tradition that the Queen performs. I don't have anything against you, Suzukawa-san, or Watanabe-san. It's just, I'm kind of worried about the surprise guest."

I could tell that Char was nervous from this. "There's no need to worry. I know that this person will be able to perform well. I understand why it can be a bit troubling though. I fully believe in the three of them to be able to wow people in my place. This person has been waiting to stand up on stage for years and I only felt right giving them a stage that would give them the attention they deserve."

"No offense but wanting to perform is different then being able to. I don't doubt your friends or your skill, Char-chan but have you ever seen them perform?" Another person chipped in. Char froze slightly. Being the other half of Charlotte it was impossible to see her perform in real life. And she couldn't lie about that to everyone to say that she did. It would be betraying their trust when they find out.

"A-about that- It's-um-" I raised my hand in front of her, signalling her to stop. Char breathed out quietly in relief.

"I, personally, scouted the surprise guest. Does that work then?" They kind of looked at each other in shock. I lowered my hand knowing that they were all looking at me. "Regardless of Char-senpai's relationship with the guest, I found a passion to be an idol in this person. Because of some circumstances, this person is to remain a mystery until the day to prevent unnecessary stress on them. All three of us are working diligently so if you have any questions about the performance you can direct them to me."

"Doesn't that make more sense too?" I turned to Snapshot. "Char-chan isn't even involved in the performance. Instead of forcing her to answer, we can ask them if they need help."

The others in the room settled down quickly. I mouthed a thank you at him seeing that he was trying to take pressure off the two of us. I wasn't sure if Shouta had told him that it was Charlotte that was the special guest but his natural gentleman persona really does show when people are disturbed. I was thankful that I had the two of them by my side for this instead of being entrusted it to me alone.

* * *

I sat down in courtyard's gazebo. The court was desserted that it was the perfect place for me to be alone for the night. I read my phone of all that I was in charge for. Since Hayate and I were both doing a performance on the day, we were paired up for beforehand preparations. We were going to work on double checking the booths, going around to the other classes for their plans and overall scheduling of the events to make sure everything was promoted properly.

It was nice knowing that I didn't have to help out much on the actual day. This plan does make it difficult to plan everything with Char though. Though she wasn't performing, it technically affected Charlotte's schedule with us. I have full confidence that we would make it work but it made me nervous with the timing. A week is way less than the month we took for Char's concert.

I put my phone down, looking up at the moon. Everything was quiet that I felt like I was going to fall asleep. The fresh air was doing me well to help clear my mind. I knew I shouldn't but I took out my cards binder. I didn't want to open it. It only reminded me of all that I messed up.

I was surprised when a jacket fell around my shoulders. I quickly turned to the new person. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that. I would prefer if you were in your dorm so late." He chuckled at me, playfully pushing me to make space on the large bench. Dad took his jacket making sure to put it on properly on me. I pulled it closer, not even realizing how cold I had gotten. "Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

I turned to him in confusion. "H-How'd you know?"

"I'm your dad before your teacher. You think I wouldn't notice you in class? I don't know what you said but you did not want to be the representative. You kept sighing, barely took notes. If you want to say something now would be a nice time to " I leaned into his shoulder. Having him so close was like I was a child again. I wanted to remain like this. That there was nothing wrong. But I couldn't stop the feeling of guilt in me.

"I'm sure you heard about the concert yesterday." I quietly asked.

"I heard it was a huge success." I weakly nodded.

"What people don't know is that it was actually a huge mess. And it was all my fault. I almost ruined Char-senpai's concert and I-" I stopped to catch my words. "I lost my cards before going on stage."

"You wore a **Chameleon's Skin** dress, didn't you? Whatever happen, it was clear that you managed to get though it. And if I know you, you were the one to figure it out. As an idol you succeeded in overcoming a difficult mishap. This binder you're holding onto has returned to you in the end." I balled up my fists on my card binder on my lap.

"That's what I told myself. Until I opened it." I shakily handed it to him. He took it opening it up. I had so little cards that I didn't need to go through it thoroughly to see what was wrong. Upon opening it the first cards seen would be my **Torte Coord**. Well there was one more card that was suppose to be seen before those ones.

"This is a unique binder. I've never seen a special pocket on the cover. Did you stitch one in?" His fingers traced over the hand stitched front card slip that I put in. It was only enough for one card that I had made it for the card I knew had to be the most special to me. I could feel the tears brimming in my eyes. I blinked them away as fast as I could.

"B-before I enrolled in Starlight- the first day- Mom had- Mom had-" I couldn't formulate my sentences properly. My throat was going dry just trying to finish. All dad did was close the binder and put it on the table. He let me go to crouch in front of me. I watched him dirty his work pants getting on his knees to hold my cold hands. He met my eyes with complete focus. I could see that he was encouraging me in the way that wasn't forcing me to say anything.

"I lost the **Starlight Tiara**." I whimpered out. I couldn't hold back anymore, crying all that I could. He pulled me into a hug making me sob into his chest.

The **Starlight Tiara**. The card that originally belonged to grandma to mom to me. There was nothing that could replace the sentimental value and memories put into that card. When I couldn't find it my binder my heart had fell. Mom had entrusted it to me and I had lost it. I had hoped that one day I would have been able to wear it on stage. On the stage that would have been my grand moment in being an idol. I wanted to tell my mom how much I had learned as an idol on that stage. A show that even with that tiara I was my own self. That card would have been my award and the only way I could prove myself to everyone. A way I could perform with mom by my side after everything. After I had denied everything about wanting to be the next Hoshimiya Ichigo, I could be myself.

I clutched onto dad's shirt tightly. He soothingly rubbed his hand on my back. He let me cry all that I wanted without saying a word. When he felt that I had somewhat calmed down, he pulled me away. He reached into the jacket around me, handing me a pack of napkins. I took one wiping away my snot and tears. I was a complete mess.

"Momo." I took a quick breath hearing dad speak. "You're not at fault here."

I froze. "You're not at fault here."

He repeated himself without ever losing his eye contact. "W-What? What are you saying!? Yell at me! Scold me! You're an Aikatsu teacher, do you even realize what I just said! What idol- What kind of daughter loses their mom's most important card?! I lost my cards! I lost the tiara! How could you say that it wasn't my fault?!"

"Because I know you." He said softly.

"Knowing me doesn't excuse me from this! If that was the case every person with an acquaintance wouldn't be charged with anything!"

"Momo...Did you throw the Tiara in the trash?" I lost my words.

"N-No."

"Did you give it away to someone else?"

"W-well no but-"

"Did you purposefully lose it?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Then it's not your fault. You can't blame yourself for something out of your hands. Look at your binder Momo. You don't even know how to sew since you prioritized your studies above home economic studies. You must have learned so that you specifically put in that slot. How can I look at that, knowing you so well, that you did everything to treasure that card?" He reached for the binder behind me putting it in my hands.

"You're an idol so these cards are your life. That doesn't mean you have to force yourself this blame. It means you learn from this. You learn to hold onto the cards you still have and will gain with even more care. And where ever the Tiara shows up, then it will. You know before Ringo-san gave it to Ichigo, it was said to disappear from Idol history. That's all that's happening now. You can't see it but it'll make it's return when it does." Dad's words gave me some hope. That I shouldn't be burying myself in so much blame.

"How should I tell mom then? Even if you don't blame me, that card meant so much to her. I don't want mom to hate me."

"I've known Ichigo since she was in your shoes. She isn't going to hate you. You're her daughter." I didn't say anything. "Do you want me to help you tell her?"

"No! I mean I know I have to. I know I should. But I-"

"Momo!" Dad and I suddenly stood up seeing my mom standing in front of us. She was standing at some distance away with her hands on her knees breathing heavily. That didn't stop her from continuing her run turns me. Dad moved aside as she came up to me. She immediately cupped my face, inspecting me all over.

"Have you been crying? Why? Are you okay? What's wrong?" She kept throwing a bunch of questions at me that I couldn't even answer. The idea that she was standing in front of me right now was unbelievable.

"M-Mom what are you doing here? How did you know I would be here?" I looked her over seeing that was still in her comfy work clothes. She must have came here directly from home. She was sweating hard so I could tell that she ran the distance. She was out of breath but she didn't stop to calm herself down, going straight to the questioning.

"Shouta called the store. He said that you were acting strange in class that he wanted me to give you a call to cheer you up. Then Naoto called saying he was going to be coming home late, I knew something was wrong. I had to check up on you." 'She ran here for me?'

I turned to dad who just nodded at me. I took a deep breath. Mom loosened her hands on me seeing me being nervous. "Mom, I um I have something to tell you." I bit my lip closing my eyes.

"I know-I know that you think highly of me. I know that I'm your daughter and all but you're welcomed to hate me-" She pulled me into a tight hug without me even finishing.

"I could never hate you Momo." I fell to my knees. Mom and dad were quick to catch me helping me sit down. Saying it once today was enough to already throw myself off. Mom rested her forehead on mine. "I love you Momo. No matter what happens, okay?"

She whispered to me. I could feel the idol aura coming off of her. No. This was different than an idol's aura. It was just her being my mom. Without anything special. Not having all the fancy lights and soothing vocals. It was just mom being herself. "Mom... I lost the **Starlight Tiara**."

I flinched waiting for her to reply. "Is that all?"

"I'm sorry." I whispered. She put one hand on my head.

"Momo, you're shaking." I opened my eyes seeing the way my hands shake.

"I won't lie to you. You losing the Tiara really hurts but seeing you act like this. This hurts way more." She wiped my cheek. "I can't be mad at you. I should be apologizing to you for all this pressure. Not only in the card but also in making you feel less than me because you aren't an idol. You've been holding so much burden yourself that I couldn't see. As a child you stayed in my shadow without me knowing. If it wasn't for Shouta I wouldn't have even known about this. I'm sorry Momo. Cards an idols life but you are mine. And I'm so sorry that I made you feel like this."

I've never seen mom cry in real life. To me she was my shinning idol. The one that was always smiling when I had fallen down. Now she was sitting in front of me with tears building up in her eyes. My mom was going to cry and it wasn't because I had lost the Tiara.

"Mom... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Dad grabbed mom's hands placing it on top of mine so that we were all holding each other.

"That's enough with the sorrys. Neither of you have done anything wrong. An idol smile is something amazing don't you agree?" Mom and I looked at each other and started laughing. He pulled the two of us close so that we were both resting on him comfortably. We still had a few tears and sniffles but everything felt lighter. We sat together in the cold night as if we were back in our home watching the tv after a large meal.

"This brings back memories; don't you think Naoto?" I could feel him nod.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Ichigo came here a lot when she was a student. When I still had my groundskeeper's habits I would see her here a lot. She would sit here in a complete daze whenever she couldn't sleep or had too many thoughts. Sometimes I would help her out. It's how I knew you would be out here as well."

"To think Momo would come here as well. Sometimes Naoto would even come out here to write songs too. So I would just sit here and listen to him even though he would scold me for coming out so late." He ruffled her hair.

"It's because you kept falling asleep all the time. Was my music that boring to you?" She snuck a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Maybe. Or maybe I really liked your voice." I smiled watching the two of them as he returned the kiss on the top of her head. My parents were the Star couple but they were my parents first to me.

"Hey mom? I have a performance coming up for the Starlight anniversary. Would you like to come?"

She smiled at me holding my hand. "I wouldn't miss it."

* * *

Trivia: This chapter and the last one were suppose to be one chapter but both turned out to be way longer than I expected. Though I have to say that these chapters were something I was excited to write that they weren't that difficult for me. Momo losing the Tiara is sad, yes, but I really needed to throw Momo off her game before I start throwing some real problems at her. Ichigo and Naoto were the best ones to kind of reassure her at the beginning of this kind of idea as they won't be by her side for these problems that come up but they are still important as her family and a continuous support for her.


End file.
